The Griffon's Tears
by Nebride
Summary: Legolas, Gimli fight a new evil in Mordor. As they unravel another mystical mystery, Legolas faces a tragedy that may cost his happiness.
1. Journeys

**** "The Griffon's Tears" is dedicated to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia who, like the griffon, have gone home. I'll never forget you. ****  
  
Welcome back! Hopefully I didn't miss anyone who wished to be contacted. If I have, I am so sorry!!!!  
  
This is the fourth story in the Legolas/Gimli/Alede adventure series and takes place approximately five years after the events in the "Faerie Goblet".  
  
Get set for another adventure of magical mayhem. In "The Faerie Goblet" Legolas and Alede were betrothed, but that doesn't mean its going to be easy! King Thranduil and even the strange weather seems intent upon driving the two apart now. And then there's the Griffon who wields bizarre powers . . .  
  
Fasten your seat belt and hang on for another adventure with Legolas, Gimli and Alede in the . . .  
  
THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 1 ~ "Journeys"  
  
Legolas slid silently away from the boulder which had concealed him. His ashen gray garments blended with the dusky landscape of Mordor. Rocks and ruble were strewn about, vomited up by Mount Doom, making the path beneath his feet treacherous. But the elf moved with quiet stealth, passing his many warriors and vanishing up the slopes, unseen by the enemy.  
  
King Elessar and Gimli stood upon the hills above Barad-Dûr, their armor shining dully in the morning haze. Behind them spread out their companies, many hundreds strong. No army of this size had approached Mordor since the War of the Ring and they did so now only out of the greatest need.  
  
For many years, small bands of Orcs had trickled out of the enemy's ruined land to attack travelers and small villages by night. They made a rude living out of their plundering. None of the Orcs had been organized enough to move like an army, but they did succeed in killing many innocent people and burning several villages. Their numbers had been growing each year and in the past few months, there seemed to be a common purpose behind their killings. Something or someone had united them lately.  
  
There was also a slow and illicit trade in objects of dark magic. Legolas occasionally encountered traders slipping down out of the southern mountain passes, thinking they could lose themselves in the lush forests of Ithilien and not be found out.  
  
Lose themselves they did, and often their lives as well if they failed to give up their evil gains, for the Lord of Ithilien's Elves did not look kindly upon this dark trade.  
  
He had a very specific reason to hate the objects of dark magic.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas crept up the slope toward his old friends. Aragorn's horse turned its head toward him, but gave no alarm.  
  
"I can see no sign of Legolas' army," Aragorn said, shielding his eyes.  
  
"If that Elf has dragged us to this stinking mud hole and then failed to show up, I'll lop off his head myself!" Gimli said irritably, shaking his axe slightly. He looked dusty and weary, for his company had had the farthest to march.  
  
"Peace, my friend," Aragorn said soothingly. "I am certain that Legolas will not be late for this party which he has planned . . ."  
  
Legolas slipped out of the shadows and threw back his cloak. Aragorn turned quickly, but did not start. Gimli on the other hand gave a satisfactory jump.  
  
"Of course I am not late," Legolas said cheerfully, ignoring the irritable sounds coming from his stout friend, though his hand dropped to the dwarf's shoulder and he gave him a nod of silent greeting. "Indeed, my company and I arrived for the festivities quite early and have been waiting for you."  
  
Legolas clasped Aragorn's arm in welcome, but his eyes were drawn toward the plains in front of them.  
  
"It appears that we have been seen." He nodded toward the broken down gates of Barad-Dûr. Hundreds of Uruk-hai and Orcs were swarming out of the opening to greet the army assembled above them.  
  
"Not the wisest of moves," Gimli observed. "They would have been better to repair their broken down gates, or even to shield themselves behind what is left of them."  
  
"Aye, but Orcs and their kind are not wise," Legolas said, watching the enemy closely. "And so they blunder into our trap quite willingly."  
  
"They do appear to be united in their movements though," Aragorn said.  
  
"Aye," Legolas agreed. "Their movements of late have demonstrated unity, though what or who has united them, I still do not know. But their movements lack foresight. It is as if they are driven by desire but no experience. Whoever leads them has no battle knowledge, of that I am sure. But their boldness is growing and I am certain this is the time to strike them, before their forces grow even stronger."  
  
Aragorn nodded, knowing that Legolas was still uncomfortable about this battle which he had proposed. The Elvin prince was a skilled warrior and had led companies of warriors with great success, but this was the first time he'd commanded a huge massing of troops such as the one that now had marched into Mordor.  
  
For long months had they counseled at Legolas' insistence. Faramir had been quick to agree with the Elf about the growing threat of Orcs in Mordor, but convincing Aragorn had taken more time. Gondor was a huge realm and its ruling was complicated. Aragorn did not lightly lay aside his duties to march to war.  
  
But the young prince had persuaded him in the end, though Aragorn had known that deep inside Legolas harbored misgivings.  
  
Aragorn gripped Legolas' shoulder. "It is obvious that they have expected this," he said nodding down at the Uruk-hai. "Let us finish them, before they grow even greater. Let us finish them once and for all so that Middle Earth need never be troubled by them again."  
  
Legolas nodded and his grip on Gimli's armor tightened. He was grateful for Aragorn's support. He was even more grateful for Gimli's.  
  
The dwarf had not even asked why, he had simple offered 500 warriors.  
  
Legolas looked to the west. "Faramir and his company are in position, as are my warriors. We will begin the attack on my signal."  
  
Aragorn nodded and Gimli shifted his sturdy feet. "Let us begin then!"  
  
Legolas raised his cloak over his fair hair once again and slipped back down the way he had come, blending into the landscape like a shadow. He nodded to his warriors as he passed them, watching in satisfaction as they fitted arrows to strings. Silently, he slid back into his position at the very end of the line of archers.  
  
Ahead of him, the Uruk-hai marched heavily out onto the plain. Legolas' company was concealed on their right flank, slightly to the east of the broken fortress. Faramir's was on their left flank, also concealed. Aragorn and Gimli's warriors were straight in front and as the Uruk-hai marched forward so did the men and dwarves. Legolas waited until the three armies were nearly upon each other, neatly pinned between his and Faramir's forces. Then he stood and gave the signal.  
  
"Leithio i philinn!"  
  
And arrows flew from both sides.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede flinched and Faunlend spooked slightly beneath her.  
  
"What is it?" Elrohir asked in concern, nudging his horse close so that he might lay a calming hand on Faunlend's mane.  
  
Alede stared straight ahead for a moment, not seeing her friend, or even the worried twitching of her horse's ears. Instead she concentrated on the tumult of emotions that came to her from Legolas through their shared song.  
  
"The battle has begun," she said, her voice distant. Because she still looked inward she did not notice that Lomomir, Legolas' uncle, had also drawn his horse close and watched her intently.  
  
Focusing, she reached out, absorbing Legolas' notes and interpreting them. She'd become adept at understanding her betrothed's feelings over the last five years.  
  
She'd known of the upcoming battle of course. Legolas had written to her about it and even bidden her to delay her journey to Ithilien. But while he might fear for her safety, Alede did not. She was through with being parted from him and she had no intention of allowing mere Orcs to get in her way now, not after she had waited so many years to finally be joined with Legolas.  
  
"The battle goes well," she said after a while and those around her who had been holding their breath released it in a rush. "It goes very well."  
  
Alede blinked and looked at those around her. Her eyes fell upon Lomomir and she smiled.  
  
"Your nephew does well," she said to him.  
  
Lomomir had a pleased look on his face. "This is the first time Legolas has ever organized so huge an assault . . ."  
  
"And the first time he has proposed war," Alede added.  
  
Lomomir nodded, "It appears he has his father's wisdom. The time is right for destroying the Orcs once and for all. He is wise to recognize it and even wiser to act upon it while he has strong allies."  
  
"Wise yes," Elrohir agreed, "though I wonder how much of his decision is based upon wishing to make Ithilien safer for his betrothed?" Elrohir gave Alede a teasing smile, though she pointedly ignored him.  
  
"I had wondered that as well," Radagast the Brown said, urging his horse closer to the others. "Young prince Legolas seems to be feathering his nest quite enthusiastically."  
  
"Do not be silly, Father," Alede admonished, though secretly their jests amused her.  
  
Over the last five years, as Radagast, Cyrus and she had finished their labors in Rivendell, a constant stream of letters had gone back and forth between Imladris and Ithilien. The separation that she had feared so much had instead been bearable. And Legolas' letters were charming to say the least, full of whit and humor, they had made her laugh on many occasions.  
  
At least most of them made her laugh.  
  
She still remembered the letter he'd sent shortly after his return to Ithilien five years ago.  
  
"Dearest Alede, You are wrong about my father. He does not despise you nearly as much as you think. It only took him three days to stop shouting . . ."  
  
Alede sighed. As eager as she was to join Legolas, she dreaded the stop in Mirkwood so badly that her stomach turned to knots every time she thought about it. If she had had her preferences, they'd say goodbye to Lomomir and his two apprentices at Mirkwood's western border and then follow the Anduin south. Unfortunately propriety demanded that they travel to the King's hall. Whether Thranduil approved of her or not, she was Legolas' betrothed and must observe the ancient customs.  
  
The stop, in addition to being nerve-wracking, would also add considerably to their travel time, something that Alede was loath to do as well. They still had not decided if they would travel along the eastern edge of Mirkwood and risk the scarcity of water or double back on their steps through Mirkwood again and then travel south. Radagast had suggested that they ask Thranduil's counsel, since he would be more familiar with the lands to the east of his kingdom.  
  
*No doubt he'll be happy to tell me where to go,* Alede thought sourly.  
  
Beside her, Elrohir urged his horse close and nudged her knee with his own.  
  
"If you continue to frown like that Little One, your face will freeze that way," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"Easy for you to say," she retorted. "You don't have to face Thranduil."  
  
"True," he agreed. "Tis a terrifying prospect."  
  
Alede glanced at him, surprised that he would agree so readily and found a grossly exaggerated frown on Elrohir's fair face, obviously a parody of her own.  
  
"Stop it!" she cried, trying to hit him and not laugh all at the same time.  
  
Elrohir's stallion danced easily out of her reach and Elrohir continued to tease her for the rest of the day.  
  
Radagast chuckled to see their antics and laughed even more at the weary sighs which came from Cyrus. The Blue wizard did not care for Elves and their 'frivolity' as he called it. Even worse, he despised horses and Radagast knew that this would be a miserable trip for him.  
  
*I wonder if he would consent to learn about Alede's spell horse?* Radagast mused.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Maladok the Red struggled to a sitting position and looked around the small cabin in confusion.  
  
*How long have I been here?* He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the herb-induced stupor he'd been in.  
  
His memory wasn't as good as it had been a few hundred years ago. Vague remembrances of a long life seeped through the fog. He had initially been sent to Middle Earth for a purpose . . . a purpose that he felt ashamed of. A purpose that he wasn't meant to fulfill.  
  
It occurred to his dim mind that he was no longer the same sort of person that he remembered. He had once been someone else, long ago before he'd had that argument with Saruman. An argument in which he'd been injured . . . or be-spelled . . . or something.  
  
He shook his head in confusion. Not that it mattered, he thought, hastily pushing aside the feelings of shame. He led a much more exciting life now than he had then, of that he was sure.  
  
Reaching out, he pushed open the casement of the glass window beside the bed. Glass was a sign of wealth in this remote part of the mountains and of course Maladok deserved wealth. He deserved the best.  
  
Fresh air cleared his head enough that he remembered where he was.  
  
*The Angmar Mountains and I have been here six months.* Six months and he was no closer to the riches he'd sought when he first came. Perhaps it was time to move on.  
  
Movement outside made him turn. He watched as a dark gray spell horse touched down in the meadow in front of the small cabin and then trotted out of sight. Anticipating the arrival of the spell horse's maker, the wizard pushed himself out of bed and crossed to the small table where he plunged his hands into a bowl of water and splashed it on his face.  
  
The cold water completely restored him. Shaking droplets from his neatly trimmed beard, he ran his fingers through his short black hair, shot with streaks of gray.  
  
For a moment he thought of leaving through the back door. He'd tarried here in the Angmar Mountains far too long. What had started out as a pleasant dalliance had turned into a prison. He could get down onto the plains and follow the foothills to Rivendell. That's where he'd last heard that Radagast and Cyrus were. Though what they were doing with the Elves, Maladok did not know.  
  
He did not care much for Elves. They were arrogant people who never took his advice, seemed to disdain it actually. Dwarves, he had no use for at all. They were a grubby people who were stingy with their more than adequate wealth and stubborn as rocks. Men were far easier to persuade and it had been because of men that Maladok had come to these hills. There were tales of incredible wealth amongst the witch people of Angmar.  
  
It occurred to Maladok that he should have consulted Radagast before coming here. The old wizard had married an Angmar witch. Surely Radagast would know . . .  
  
A sound at the door sent Maladok hurrying toward the back of the cabin, tripping over a braided rug as he went. If he was going to escape, now was his only chance . . .  
  
"Going somewhere, Love?"  
  
The silken tones washed over his senses like warm honey.  
  
Reluctantly, Maladok turned around.  
  
Leaning against the doorframe, the witch Zarraweth surveyed him with her usual feral smile.  
  
"I was . . . just going to fetch more water, my lady," Maladok lied. The witch was astonishingly beautiful. Of course Maladok deserved a woman as beautiful as she. But of late, she had grown rather demanding. All she wished to speak about was his transformation abilities, a boring subject at best. Maladok was rather ashamed of it actually. It was disgraceful in his opinion, that one of the mighty Maiar could change himself into animals.  
  
*Of what use are filthy animals anyway?*  
  
But a part of him, a part that had long ago been broken by Saruman knew that once he'd been proud of that ability and considered it an honor. But Maladok was accustomed to banishing those vague memories since Saruman had awakened his arrogance and conceit.  
  
"Indeed?" Zarraweth purred, referring to his lie about fetching water. Sauntering toward him, she snapped her fingers and relit the candles which had blown out. A heavy pungent odor began to fill the room. She paced slowly up to him and dragged a sharp nailed finger down his chest and looked up at him with eyes as green as leaves.  
  
"If you intend to fetch water, should you not take a vessel to carry it in?" she asked with a sultry smile on her face.  
  
"Yes . . . of course."  
  
"But first, will you not greet me?"  
  
The poor girl, Maladok thought. She was hopelessly infatuated with him and while their wild coupling had been quite entertaining, he knew it was time to leave. He of course would never allow himself to be subjected to any woman's whims. He would have to be stern with her.  
  
*However, it wouldn't hurt to make love to her one more time before he left . . .*  
  
The smoke from the enchanted candles filled Maladok's mind and banished his remaining thoughts of leaving and dulled his will. Had he been a more astute and less pompous wizard, he would have sensed her enchantment, but sadly he was not.  
  
Or rather, was no longer.  
  
So instead of leaving, he looked down at Zarraweth's luminous eyes and the lushness of her mouth. He reached out, sinking his hands into her silky black hair and kissed her harshly. She melded against him and wrapped one delicate calf around his leg.  
  
Zarraweth gave a sultry laugh as he lifted her and held her against the cabin wall, pressing against her eagerly.  
  
All thoughts of going to Radagast fled from Maladok's mind and he concentrated on tearing Zarraweth's clothing away to reach the treasure within. So enflamed was he, he did not even notice when the witch fastened two golden manacles onto his wrists, sealing his imprisonment even more.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*** "Leithio i philinn!" = Release the arrows!  
  
A/N: Two golden manacles? Does anyone get the idea that this witch is up to no good? And Maladok sounds like he's a few cards short of a deck, if you know what I mean ;). In chapter two we'll find out what Zarraweth has got in mind and how Legolas is faring in the battle in Mordor. Also, Alede reaches Mirkwood and finds that her meeting with King Thranduil is actually worse than she imagined it might be.  
  
*** And back by popular demand . . . The Original Character list. ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc. (Well, duh . . . I guess you knew all that, didn't you? lol!)  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown. He is a rather cantankerous wizard with a distinct dislike of Elves, Dwarves, horses . . . the list goes on. He's a good person and a fairly accomplished alchemist, but a bit on the cranky side. ;) He made his first appearance in "The Faerie Goblet".  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals. He made his first appearance in "The Caverns of Mirkwood".  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more greed and beauty than is good for her. 


	2. The Moaning Wind

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 2 ~ "The Moaning Wind"  
  
Maladok sat back on his haunches and sobbed. Great rolling tears streamed from his eyes and dropped with a hiss into the dark bowl below him.  
  
"Very good, my pet," Zarraweth purred. But there was malice in her tone and Maladok shivered. His back burned from the whipping she'd given him and his shoulders ached terribly from his first flight.  
  
First flight . . . all the way from the Angmar mountains. Maladok looked down miserably at his arms.  
  
But they were no longer arms. Instead feathers covered well muscled legs. They ended in cruelly curved talons that were ill quipped to stand on the stone floor of Barad-Dûr's tallest tower. His claws curled and scratched on the slick surface and two gold manacles circled his wrists tightly.  
  
Ankles, he thought pitifully. He no longer had wrists.  
  
On the wall beside him he caught sight of his silhouette, a great beaked head, with its long ear tufts, massive wings, lean feline body and a sinuous tail.  
  
With a shudder of revulsion, Maladok shifted his great golden wings, trying to find a comfortable position for his aching muscles.  
  
"Stay still!" Zarraweth snapped. She was bent over the black bowl. Muttering to herself, the surface of the liquid inside began to glow, softly at first and then with greater intensity. Soon it cast a light about the windy tower that threw all else into shadow.  
  
An unhealthy smile lit the witch's face. Carefully carrying the bowl to the edge of the battlements, she held it up and began speaking an awful incantation. Power, unlike anything that Middle Earth had seen before began to vibrate in the air.  
  
At the back of the tower, Maladok whimpered and sank down to the stone, putting his huge curved talons over his eyes.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas leaped down from the rock face into the small band of Orcs that circled Gimli, slashing two of them with his long knives before they could even advance on him. At his back, he heard the sickening crunch of an axe sinking into a skull. He dealt with another Orc and then turned in time to see Gimli slay two more.  
  
And then quite suddenly there was no more of the enemy to slay.  
  
Legolas and Gimli both stumbled to a halt. They had been fighting the entire day. The Orcs had been slightly better prepared than they originally thought. But only slightly. Once the initial battle had begun, Orc archers had sprang into sight on the parapets of Barad-Dûr, raining arrows down upon Aragorn and Gimli's armies. But Aragorn had simply pulled their troops back, continuing the battle out of range of the archers. Legolas had sent a few of his best to pick the archers off of the battlement walls, not a terribly difficult task for Elvin archers.  
  
The battle had gone well from the beginning, too well almost. All the commanders had had a sense of foreboding. But the only reason the battle had lasted as long as it did was because of the sheer number of Orcs and Uruk-hai. Barad-Dûr had contained hundreds of the loathsome creatures.  
  
But now as Legolas and Gimli stood still, they looked around at the almost quiet battlefield and the battle seemed to be over.  
  
"That was too easy," Gimli declared.  
  
"I agree," Legolas said, turning to stand beside his friend. "Even wild mountain Orcs fight with more foresight than these did. It was almost as if they were driven out to the slaughter."  
  
"Perhaps they had a fool of a commander."  
  
Legolas's furrowed his brow. "Surely they would not be THIS foolish . . ."  
  
He and Gimli slowly made their way across the corpse ridden ground toward Aragorn. An ill wind began to pluck at their clothing.  
  
"Bah!" Gimli growled. "I hope that we are not going to get a storm. With all these dead Orcs . . ."  
  
He never finished the sentence. The wind picked up so violently that the rest of his words were swept away. Dust and debris pelted them. Legolas shaded his bright eyes with his hand as he staggered toward Aragorn.  
  
"This is no natural wind," Aragorn shouted when they reached each other.  
  
"But who is behind it?" Legolas shouted back. "Someone must be working dark magic in the tower. The Orcs may have been merely a diversion. We must get in there!"  
  
"We will be no match for a magician!" Gimli shouted over the rising wind.  
  
"But we must! We cannot allow this evil to continue . . ." Legolas broke off when the wind pushed him hard enough that he stumbled. Gimli immediately grabbed a hold of his friend's wrist. It would take a much sturdier wind than this to shove a dwarf!  
  
"We can do nothing in this!" Aragorn shouted. "We must take cover."  
  
Before the others could reply though, Legolas' cloak was torn from his shoulders and whipped off across the plain. Sight was becoming impossible due to dirt in the air. The three grabbed each other's arms to steady themselves. But though it seemed impossible, the wind increased and small rocks were skidding across the ground as if they weighed no more than leaves.  
  
Just before Legolas' feet left the ground, he was certain he heard the sound of sobbing in that awful wind.  
  
Moments later, the entire plain before Barad-Dûr was swept completely clean of the living and the dead. Nothing remained upon it except a moaning vortex of wind.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Did you feel that?" Alede gasped, pulling away from Elrohir.  
  
"I certainly did," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"Not that!" Alede snapped, giving him a shove in the chest.  
  
They had stopped to rest for the night and Elrohir had lifted Alede down from Faunlend. He held her in a teasing embrace that was so tight it had made her ribs creak.  
  
"Did you feel it, Father?" Alede asked, fighting her way out of Elrohir's embrace.  
  
"Feel what, Alede?"  
  
"Magic. Did you not feel it or hear it moaning on the wind?"  
  
Radagast turned and looked at Cyrus, but the blue wizard merely shrugged his shoulders.  
  
Puzzled, Alede went about rubbing Faunlend down, trying to sort out the cacophony of emotions she heard from Legolas and wondering just who could have produced such strong magic.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Maladok shifted away from Zarraweth, trying to shield his body behind the post he'd been tied to. But it was impossible. He was nearly the size of a cart horse and his claws could not find purchase on the smooth stone.  
  
"Time for more magic," Zarraweth said in a mocking singsong voice. "Ah . . . what is wrong, my pet? Is the griffon frightened?" She laughed cruelly and jerked the chain which bound his neck.  
  
"You did not believe me, did you?" she hissed. "I told you I'd been studying Malina's books, yet still you did not believe me!"  
  
Maladok cringed away from her. Yet he couldn't deny it. He had not believed what was written in the old books.  
  
*I should have. Radagast's wife was fair, but Malina was no empty headed beauty.*  
  
Zarraweth had spoken many times of the ancient books that had belonged to Radagast's wife. Malina had spent much time compiling old folklore about plants and animals. There was an entire chapter on the mystical properties of magical animals. But Maladok had not believed it.  
  
While he knew that dragons were real, he'd never seen a unicorn, though the chapter mentioned them. Legend said that they lived in Lothlorien, but he assumed it was all nonsense.  
  
And as for Griffons . . . well! He'd certainly never laid eyes on one. An absurd beast! Any animal that had the front legs and head of an eagle and the back legs and tail of a lion could only be make believe.  
  
Or so he'd thought.  
  
And as for the tears of the griffon containing extraordinary magic . . . well, he'd assumed that was all nonsense too.  
  
Nonsense until the day that Zarraweth had come back with a pretty pair of manacles and clamped them over his arms and commanded him to transform into a griffon. Helpless against the enslaving, dark magic in the manacles, he'd been forced to comply.  
  
Transformation was his unique talent. An idiotic talent, he had come to believe, thanks to Saruman's interference.  
  
Saruman had been given the gift of leadership, Gandalf had wisdom and the ability to influence mankind. Radagast had had his abilities with birds and animals and Cyrus his alchemy. Even little Alede had her gift of healing. But Maladok had been cursed with the ability to transform.  
  
At first, he had used his abilities for good, as they all had when the Valar sent them to Middle Earth, he remembered that now. Oddly enough, when he changed into Griffon form, his old memories had returned. And most of them were not pleasant.  
  
Maladok had been a good wizard when he'd first been sent to Middle Earth. Many times, over and over, he had used his transformation abilities to subtly change the course of humanity. When war threatened, he had flown above the commanders in the form of a crow, an omen of evil, thus influencing them to talk peace instead of fighting. Sometimes he whispered words of advice into the ears of sleeping village leaders in the small shape of a mouse.  
  
But then there had been that argument with Saruman. Maladok could not remember much of it still, but he knew that he had walked out of Orthanc changed. His previous humble life seemed an insult and he found fault with everything and everyone in his path.  
  
*And my ego grew until my wits could no longer contain it!*  
  
And soon he discovered that his transformation abilities could be used for his own good instead of those of the brainless beings he now found himself surrounded by.  
  
By transforming himself into various lords or princes he could help himself to wealth or women . . . whatever he wanted.  
  
It had been amusing at first, but it was an empty sort of amusement and he did seem to get caught rather often. Gandalf had even suggested at one point that he was not clever enough to pull off his various ruses and that he ought to stick to the Valar's original purpose. But Maladok had indignantly told Gandalf that he was wrong. Maladok knew that he was incredibly clever.  
  
At least until now.  
  
Now he realized what an utter fool he had been. He regretted every boast he had made to Zarraweth about his transformation abilities. He began to regret too, the many people that he had duped over all the years. He knew now what it felt like to be made a fool of, to have one's life ruined by someone else.  
  
And he began to think less and less like a wizard and more like a . . . a creature of magic.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
[Several days later.]  
  
The four armies marched tiredly away from Mordor to the relative safety of the foothills. The sudden magical wind had hurled all of them up into the mountains surrounding Mordor. They'd landed in a tangle of Men, Elves, irate Dwarves and the corpses of Orcs. Many of them had been severely injured. Far more had been injured by the wind than had been hurt in the actually battle.  
  
Any thoughts of going back to investigate the dark tower had been quashed. A hurricane of wind-driven dirt circled Barad-Dûr like a wall and showed no signs of abating. Legolas had stalled for three days while they gathered their warriors together and tended to the wounded. His own injuries were minor, the result of a thorn bush and nothing more. But Gimli had suffered a dislocated shoulder when he landed on the unforgiving earth and Aragorn had wrenched his back.  
  
Legolas had desperately wanted to return even though the wall of wind still circled Mordor. It was not in him to turn away from such unfinished business. But he had finally turned away when Gimli had insisted upon returning with him. The dwarf was in no condition to be traveling over rough ground or fighting whatever it was that now controlled the dark land and neither were the others.  
  
Legolas had finally helped Gimli mount Aransûl, since the Dwarf's arm was in a sling and they had turned toward Gondor.  
  
*Perhaps if we had arrived weeks ago, this evil would not have been prepared for us.*  
  
"What are you mumbling about now?" Gimli asked irritably as they were well into their journey.  
  
"Nothing," Legolas replied. Gimli had already chastised him for his regrets.  
  
"Ahh, just as I thought," Gimli replied. "Your mind has gone and now you speak to yourself."  
  
"Tis the only way I can find an equal for my conversation," Legolas retorted. "I fear that what I have to say is far above your dull intellect."  
  
"Ha! But at least this 'dull intellect' of mine knows not to weary itself with 'what ifs'."  
  
Legolas sighed. Gimli had him there, he could not deny it, but he said nothing. Instead he urged Aransûl forward. Aragorn and Faramir had dismounted and stood talking beside their tired horses, allowing their men to rest for a while.  
  
"What counsel, Elessar?" Legolas asked as he dismounted and approached the two.  
  
"I wish that Gandalf were here," Aragorn answered tiredly, stretching his sore back.  
  
"It is an evil omen that there is magic in Mordor again," Faramir added.  
  
"Aye, that it is," Legolas agreed. "But do not lose hope. This magic may be beyond us, but Alede and her father travel south even now. We will see what counsel they have."  
  
"Very well," Aragorn said. "Let us hope that their counsel will be enough. I do not wish to fight another dark lord. How soon will they arrive?"  
  
Legolas gazed into the distance for a moment, a gesture which Gimli recognized as reaching out for her song.  
  
"She arrives at the Greenwood even now," he said softly, worry coloring his tone.  
  
"Good, then they are not far away."  
  
"Yet, I wish them farther away, for I had hoped to meet Alede there. But she would not wait and so goes to my father even now."  
  
"I told you a long time ago," Gimli said, "Thranduil will not put her off. She will come to you no matter what."  
  
"Aye, I know," Legolas said softly, "but I had wished to be there to protect her from my father's bullying."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede's stomach twisted itself into such a knot at the sight of the royal pavilion on Mirkwood's western edge that she thought it might choke her. She wished with all her heart that Elrohir were still with them. But the prince of Imladris had only seen them to the pass before heading back to Rivendell.  
  
"Ahh, this is fortuitous," Lomomir said beside her. "My brother has come to meet us. You will not have to travel all the way through the Greenwood to his Hall."  
  
Alede shot him a dirty look. She saw nothing fortuitous about it all.  
  
Lomomir laughed when he caught the look. "Cheer up, young one! At least there is much distance between you and the dungeons here."  
  
"He can always drown me in the river," she grumbled.  
  
Lomomir chuckled, urging his horse forward into a gallop. But Alede kept Faunlend at a walk when the gray would have followed.  
  
"Let us take our time," Alede said patting her horse's neck. "The pack horses carry too precious a cargo to run and I am in no hurry."  
  
By the time Alede and the rest of the group reached the encampment, Lomomir had dismounted and disappeared. Alede assumed he'd gone to find Thranduil.  
  
Two Elves wearing the clothing of the royal household came to great them and directed them to tents which had been erected for their use. They also led their horses away and Alede watched Faunlend leave with a knot of tension in her throat. She would have liked to have tended her herself. But Alede knew that the wish was partially selfish. She just wanted to delay her meeting with Thranduil.  
  
Servants brought in her trunks. Alede went outside, intending to find some water and nearly ran into another of the King's servants.  
  
He bowed to her and Alede tried not to jump like a nervous colt.  
  
"My lady, his majesty King Thranduil requests your presence."  
  
*Requests my presence?* Alede repeated the words to herself silently and angrily. *He does not even send his greetings! He simply requests my presence as if I am a commoner to leap to do his bidding!*  
  
Alede saw her father standing just behind the servant. The resigned look on his face made her pause for only a moment. But she was made of slightly sterner stuff than her gentle father.  
  
Directing her gaze back to the servant, she returned his bow.  
  
"Please give King Thranduil my compliments and my greetings. Please ask if we might indulge his patience for a mere quarter of an hour, so that my company and I may wash away the dirt of the road before we appear before him."  
  
The Elf was obviously taken aback. He opened his mouth to protest, but Alede gave him no time. "Thank you and would you please have someone bring me some water?"  
  
The Elf looked highly offended, but turned on his heals and marched away. Alede let out the breath she'd been holding and looked at her father.  
  
Radagast's eyes were twinkling. "This should be an interesting meeting."  
  
"Interesting?! Don't just stand there Father! Get me something to wash with and help me find my gowns!"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
King Thranduil heard footsteps approaching and quickly brushed the horsehairs from the front of his elegantly stitched tunic. He had been reacquainting himself with Faunlend while he waited for his unwanted guest and had just now returned to his pavilion.  
  
One of his servants showed Alede inside and Thranduil's eyes swept over her appraisingly. He ignored the two wizards who entered behind her.  
  
Alede approached him and dropped into a deep curtsy.  
  
"Greetings King Thranduil."  
  
He took one step toward her, closing the distance and looked down at her. He said nothing and crossed his arms over his chest. Alede rose from her curtsey. She had been looking at the ground, but now she glanced up and was caught by his gaze just as he had intended. She started to look away nervously, but then Thranduil saw something flicker in her eyes and she returned his stare.  
  
He chuckled inwardly at her defiance and studied her, like a hawk would its prey. She had changed from her traveling clothes obviously. Her gown was of excellent quality and Thranduil recognized the skill of Rivendell in its making. The silky fabric was of the palest green, which he suspected she hoped would bring out the color of her eyes. It was also a subtle reminder of her rank as wizard.  
  
Her face was bright pink from a quick washing and possibly from the effort to hold his gaze. Her hair too had been brushed and the rather rebellious waves cascaded over her shoulders.  
  
She is no beauty, Thranduil thought.  
  
Her nose was slightly crooked and the corners of her mouth were uneven. Her breasts and hips were much too full for an elf to consider attractive. While he knew that humans admired that hourglass type of figure, Elves preferred a woman of willowy proportions.  
  
But her smile, no matter how uneven it was, was sweet and genuine. At least it was when she was smiling at someone else. She'd never smiled at him and at the moment the neutral look on her face appeared quit forced.  
  
Nevertheless, Thranduil knew enough about her to know that kindness and sincerity were Alede's hallmarks.  
  
*And her eyes are a pleasing shade of green.*  
  
While Thranduil knew it was her sweetness that had captured his son's heart, he had to admit to himself that it was her courage he admired.  
  
Not that Thranduil would ever tell her that.  
  
But Alede had a lot of pluck to rescue Legolas from Orthanc and then to answer his first summons to the Greenwood all those years ago. She must have known that she would not receive a warm welcome from Thranduil or his people. She had demonstrated even more courage when facing the Faerie Queen according to Legolas' account.  
  
And he'd certainly heard Legolas' account enough times!  
  
When Legolas had traveled through the Greenwood five years ago, Thranduil had been alarmed to hear of his adventures in the Faerie Kingdom. But as frightening as those events had been, the King had been even more alarmed by Legolas' declaration of love for the mongrel witch.  
  
Their argument had lasted for days. Thranduil had been rather disconcerted to find that his normal methods of persuasion had no effect on his son. Rather, Legolas had remained as stubborn and unmoved as he himself often was. Nor had it helped that the crown prince, Franduil and his wife Elvothien were supportive of Legolas' betrothal.  
  
Legolas had left the Greenwood in a flurry of anger and it was his parting words that had stung Thranduil the most.  
  
'Alede believes you to be the most intelligent of all Elves left on Middle Earth, Father. Yet if that is so, then why are you not wise enough to see what she is, instead of what you wish to believe her to be? For if you did, then you would realize that she is worthy of your admiration, not your scorn.'  
  
Thranduil had brushed those words aside at first, but as his anger subsided over time, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Quietly he'd sent out inquiries about Alede's doings over the short span of her lifetime.  
  
What he had learned had confirmed the suspicions he'd had since Alede's last visit to the Greenwood. She was not the manipulative, mongrel witch he'd initially believed her to be, intent upon snaring a royal husband. Instead she was a woman of deep compassion, strong morals and great courage.  
  
Courage which she now showed as she stood unflinching before the King. Not once had she dropped her eyes during his appraisal of her, though he could see that she was far from easy about it. No mortal could withstand an Elf's steady gaze for more than a moment.  
  
*But then she is not mortal, no matter that she looks like nothing more than a human girl.*  
  
Thranduil stepped back and sat down in the heavily carved chair that his people had provided him in place of his throne.  
  
"I am not in the habit of being kept waiting, Lady Alede."  
  
She gave him another quick curtsy. "My apologies Sire. Surely you would not wish us to come before you bearing the grime of the road? I wished to at least be presentable before giving you my greetings."  
  
Thranduil fought a smile. Her request was perfectly reasonable and her mention of greetings was a tiny reminder that he, as of yet, had given her no greeting. But he would not be taught manners by this slip of a girl, especially when the omission had been deliberate.  
  
Looking past her, he nodded to her father.  
  
"Greetings Lord Radagast. It has been long years since you traveled to the Greenwood."  
  
"Indeed it has, your Majesty. You have our thanks for coming to welcome us."  
  
Thranduil ignored his bow and fixed his eyes on the skinny wizard which approached him. The old man had a haughty, impatient air about him that Thranduil did not care for. How he wished that all wizards had been of Gandalf's caliber.  
  
"May I present Cyrus the Blue, your Majesty?" Radagast said.  
  
The blue robed wizard came forward and bowed. His haughty manner disappeared the moment Thranduil locked eyes with him. The old man seemed to whither and shrink and mumbled something incoherent in his beard. Thranduil looked away with a slight curl to his lips.  
  
He found his gaze returning to Alede and was surprised to find one arched brow raised higher than the other. Obviously she'd been studying him while he was occupied with the other two. The corner of her mouth twitched as she suppressed amusement and a knowing look. Thranduil realized she had guessed that he intimidated Cyrus deliberately.  
  
"There will be a banquet at sundown," he said, turning away from her frank gaze. "That will be all." He made a dismissive gesture and the two wizards turned and walked away. Alede paused for just a moment.  
  
"My thanks, your Majesty," she said. "I look forward to it."  
  
It was only after she had left that Thranduil realized she had gotten the last word in. He would have to curb that habit right away. But even as he contemplated putting her in her place, he smiled at the thought of her cheek. Courage she obviously did not lack.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"I have brought you fresh meat!" Zarraweth said as she came up the steep steps dragging something with her.  
  
Maladok's stomach growled hungrily. Zarraweth had been feeding him the rank remains of the Orc's provisions in Barad-Dûr. While his wizard's mind had recoiled at the questionable origin of the tinged meat, his griffon practicality had won out and he had torn into the disgusting carcasses with zeal.  
  
But the provisions had run out a couple of days ago and Zarraweth was not likely to share her food with him. So he looked eagerly toward the tower steps.  
  
The figure that Zarraweth pushed into the tower was not at all what he expected.  
  
Tall and thin as a willow branch, Maladok almost thought it was an emaciated Orc. But then the pitiful creature turned toward him and the filthy hair fell away from its face.  
  
An Elf!  
  
Maladok gazed in horror and astonishment at the Elf. His skin and hair were so dirty that no clue remained of its original color. Festering sores covered his face and legs and his clothing was but blackened tatters.  
  
But worse than that, worse than anything, were the Elf's eyes. Terrified, he gazed up at Maladok without any trace of hope. The soul within was completely shattered.  
  
"Eat well," Zarraweth laughed and then she slammed the heavy door to the tower shut and Maladok heard the click of a key.  
  
"I will not hurt you," Maladok said quickly to the Elf. "I am a wizard. I am not really a griffon. I will not eat you."  
  
But the Elf only cowered away from him, shivering like a frightened rabbit.  
  
"How long have you been a prisoner here?" Maladok asked as gently as his avian voice would permit. He knew that the frightened creature before him could not have been one of the Elves from the battle. It took years and years to break an Elf to this point.  
  
When his question got no reply, Maladok tried another tactic.  
  
"Perhaps you could find a way to loosen my bonds. These manacles have placed me under a spell and I must obey the witch Zarraweth, but if you could find a way to remove them . . ." he trailed off, looking hopefully around the dirty guard tower. The Orcs had left behind plenty of weapons, maybe something could cut through the gold . . .  
  
"That axe over there," Maladok said with a nod of his head. "Gold is soft, perhaps you could notch these manacles deeply enough that I could pry them off. Then the two of us could escape."  
  
The Elf's head came up at the word 'escape'.  
  
Maladok nodded his own ponderous head eagerly. "Yes! If you help set me free, you could ride upon my back. I could fly us both out of here."  
  
The Elf looked at the open battlements and slowly took a step toward them.  
  
"That's it," Maladok encouraged. "I can fly us a long way. What kingdom do you come from? I managed to fly us here from the Angmar Mountains so I am quite certain I could take us to Rivendell. Or if you are from Lothlorien or Mirkwood, they are even closer. I could . . ."  
  
But he stopped abruptly. The Elf had been walking unsteadily toward the battlements as he spoke, which Maladok had taken as a good sign. But now the Elf had actually crawled up on those battlements.  
  
"No wait!" Maladok cried. Perhaps the imprisonment had addled the Elf's mind and he did not realize his danger. The tower was one of the tallest in Barad-Dûr. "Be careful! You have to free me first," Maladok explained. "Then I will fly us . . ." His words ended on a gasp as the Elf spread his arms like a diver about to leap into a lake . . .  
  
And without looking back, without even making a sound, the Elf jumped.  
  
"NO!" Maladok shouted and lunged to the end of his chain. But it was too late.  
  
Mercifully the moaning wind covered the sound of an Elf who'd found his freedom at last.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: For anyone unfamiliar with Griffons, here is an excellent picture   
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc. (Well, duh . . . I guess you knew all that, didn't you? lol!)  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown. He is a rather cantankerous wizard with a distinct dislike of Elves, Dwarves, horses . . . the list goes on. He's a good person and a fairly accomplished alchemist, but a bit on the cranky side. ;) He made his first appearance in "The Faerie Goblet".  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals. He made his first appearance in "The Caverns of Mirkwood".  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed. 


	3. Parting Company

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 3 ~ "Parting Company"  
  
"Will you travel with us?" Gimli asked as he rode behind Legolas. They were very near the Harad road, where all of the armies would split off and go their own ways home. "We could easily set out from Helm's Deep to intercept Alede as she comes south."  
  
Legolas looked around at his warriors considering Gimli's idea. He could go with Gimli. Helm's Deep was far to the west. Backtracking would matter little to Legolas. . . . But one look at his warriors and he knew that he would not go. There were signs of worry and fatigue on their faces. An outsider would not see it, but Legolas did.  
  
"Nay, my friend. I am needed at home. These are troublesome times for my people. We are so close to Mordor." He sighed with regret. "I must turn south." He glanced over his shoulder at Gimli. The light in his bright eyes was as close to a look of pleading as he was willing to show. "But that does not mean that we must be parted. Why do you not come to Ithilien with me? Your warriors would be welcome. Many of them are wounded and my healers would tend them before they begin the long trip home." He very carefully did not say that Gimli's wounded shoulder could use the rest as well. The Dwarf would be highly offended if Legolas suggested such a thing.  
  
"Nay, I must go for the same reasons that you must," Gimli said, casting a sharp glance around at their warriors. "But I thank you for your offer."  
  
"I had hoped that you would join us for my betrothal ceremony," Legolas said quietly.  
  
"Aye, I intend to."  
  
"But then it makes no sense for you travel all the way to Helm's Deep! You will no sooner get there than you will have to turn around and come back."  
  
"I know. But I must see my warriors home. I owe them that at least and," Gimli added. "I must also get your betrothal gift."  
  
"Betrothal gift?" Legolas said with a laugh. "There is no need for you to give me a gift! I would much prefer your company instead."  
  
"Ah, but it is not from me," Gimli said with a twinkle in his eye. "Alede wrote to me shortly after we left Rivendell with the concept of a gift for you. I have labored these past five years in its making."  
  
"Indeed?" Legolas said, his curiosity peeked. "What is it?"  
  
Gimli gave him a look of outrage. "I will not tell you!"  
  
Legolas turned away, a frustrated frown furrowing his brow.  
  
"I will give you a hint though," Gimli said after a moment's silence.  
  
Legolas' bright eyes turned back to him.  
  
"It is shorter than your bow, but has a further reach," Gimli said, rather pleased with his riddle. *That will keep the Elf guessing, but he will never figure it out.*  
  
Legolas' brow furrowed again. ". . . a further reach," he said softly. "A crossbow? Such as the kind the men of the Mark carry? It has a further reach than a regular bow . . ." He glanced back at the smirking dwarf. "But Alede would not ask you to craft a weapon. That is not her way, so I suspect I am taking your words much too literally."  
  
Gimli only grinned, but said nothing. Legolas thought for several moments and came up with several wild and totally implausible ideas, none of which he cared to voice to Gimli.  
  
"What is it made of?" Legolas finally asked.  
  
"It is made of brass and glass," Gimli answered smugly, "but you will see only diamonds."  
  
"Diamonds?" That threw even the wildest of Legolas' ideas completely out of the window. "Diamonds . . ." he repeated, deep in thought. Diamonds had absolutely nothing to do with the reach of his bow. And it seemed highly unlikely that Alede would give him something so ostentatious as gems.  
  
*So, it must be something that looks like a diamond. Hmm . . . droplets of water, stars, dew upon the grass, the light in Alede's eyes . . .*  
  
Gimli chuckled and patted his friend's arm, knowing what his silence meant. "You will have to puzzle on this alone, for I am afraid that here is where we must part company."  
  
Legolas looked up and realized they were at the road. He was about to question the dwarf more, but a knot of emotion suddenly swept over him and he cursed.  
  
"What is it?" Gimli asked in alarm.  
  
"Nothing," Legolas said. He'd received just the briefest jolt of emotions from Alede before she'd locked it down. But it was enough for him to know that she was very upset. He dismounted and said his goodbyes to Gimli and Aragorn. Faramir and his company would be traveling with them for a while longer.  
  
Before he turned Aransûl's head south though, he gazed out across Gondor, wishing he could see as far as his homeland.  
  
Wishing he could help.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Yet, during the War of the Ring, neither of you were present," Thranduil said to Radagast and Cyrus smoothly, his accusing words veiled by a mask of politeness.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence and Alede clenched her teeth. If she fidgeted, Thranduil would see it, for he had seated her on his right hand side as was appropriate for the betrothed of his son.  
  
The entire dinner had been horribly uncomfortable for Alede. Thranduil's agile mind was taxing her patience and her stamina. Alede was still tired from the journey and constantly deflecting Thranduil's remarks was giving her a headache.  
  
The large pavilion was crowded as well. Normally Elves caused her no discomfort, but she felt ill at ease amongst Thranduil's people. Though nothing had been hinted at, Alede was terribly conscious of the fact that she had once been an outlaw in this land. She had been pardoned because she had saved the King's life, but nevertheless, the stain was still there.  
  
She tried to think of some way to come to her father's defense.  
  
It was true though. Her father had not felt himself equal to the task of the One Ring. Gandalf had faced the challenge alone. She knew it was something Radagast felt ashamed of. In truth, she had been a little disappointed in her father too. She had not learned of the quest until long after it had left Rivendell and she had been far to the north. But her father had known something of it early on.  
  
It was a subject that father and daughter did not speak of. Alede would always regret that she had not been in Rivendell during that time. If she had, she might have offered her services as a healer and gone with the company.  
  
*Not that they would have wanted a woman on their journey though. But I would have met Legolas earlier.*  
  
Alede's thoughts turned back to Thranduil. She knew the king enjoyed intimidating people. She had been reminded of that particular trait earlier with Cyrus. The King was an extremely intelligent Elf with a sharp wit and a shrewd mind. That mind had kept his kingdom safe all these centuries, despite that he had never had a ring of power.  
  
Unfortunately, matching his superior wits with others was a game with him, one which Alede understood but did not wish to play. Despite her father's failings it was downright rude for Thranduil to bring them up.  
  
**Ask Father about the dragon.**  
  
Alede nearly jumped out of her chair. Legolas rarely spoke in her mind during the day and never when she had not invited it. She had not even known that he was 'listening'.  
  
She had allowed her unhappy emotions to leak out earlier, but checked them as soon as she had realized what was happening. That Legolas had 'heard' in spite of her shielding herself from him, showed that his abilities to mind-speak were growing. And this time his thoughts were so clear it was almost as if he stood beside her.  
  
*He grows more like Galadriel every year.*  
  
**What about the dragon?** she thought back to him, hoping he understood. Alede could not even come closed to Legolas' skill with their mind to mind connection.  
  
Images suddenly filled her mind as if she saw through someone else's eyes. She instantly recognized the Lonely Mountain in front of her and realized that she was seeing the start of the War of Five Armies.  
  
For a moment she was lost in the sensations that filled her. The colors of the mountain and trees astonished her. The water of the lake was so vivid, she felt she could taste its wetness with her eyes. With a thrill of excitement she realized she was seeing through the eyes of an Elf.  
  
Through Legolas' eyes.  
  
*So this is how he sees the world!*  
  
Looking to her left in her mind, she saw Thranduil. He led a long column of Elves as they marched on the mountain.  
  
Suddenly a shadow and a feeling of danger passed over the company. But while the gaze of Legolas' memory held steady, she saw Thranduil flinch. The King nearly dropped his bow and only with a quick movement did he keep it from falling to the ground!  
  
Alede saw this only out of her "mental" peripheral vision. For even as the King fumbled with his bow, Legolas raised his own and shot an arrow at the huge object which swept overhead. The arrow bounced unnoticed off the dragon's scales and fell to the ground.  
  
The memory ended.  
  
But it had been enough. King Thranduil had been startled enough by Smaug the Magnificent, that he had actually done something clumsy.  
  
Alede could not help the smile that touched the corners of her lips. She felt Thranduil's gaze swing to her, bringing her fully back to the present.  
  
"I suppose it is not surprising that a mere slip of a girl did not participate in the war," Thranduil said smugly. "But I would have thought that all the wizards would have joined together to defeat Saruman at least."  
  
Alede cleared her throat. "We all have our dragons which we have failed to slay, Your Majesty. I'm sure you understand that." She gave Thranduil a pointed look and did not flinch when his eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.  
  
A moment passed and then Thranduil clapped his hands and the dishes and trenchers were cleared away.  
  
Alede cast a glance at her father and tried to give him an encouraging smile, though in truth she had been dreading this ceremony. It was customary for the two families of the betrothed to give gifts as a demonstration of their unity. But Alede knew that this was a ceremony only. Thranduil's show of unity was for the sake of his son and nothing more.  
  
There was a pause while the tables were cleared and goblets of wine refilled. The King's servants came forward bearing boxes and Cyrus slipped out to fetch Radagast and Alede's gifts.  
  
Thranduil stood and addressed the entire gathering.  
  
"My people, honored Lords and most especially Lady Alede . . ."  
  
Alede rolled her eyes sourly knowing that Thranduil hardly thought of her as an honored guest. She lost track of Thranduil's speech for a moment while a few uncomplimentary things passed through her mind.  
  
She looked up as a servant walked over to her father and presented him with a long narrow wooden box.  
  
". . . and so to you, Lord Radagast," the King was saying, "I present you with this beach wood staff. The wood and the sprite within still lives, despite having been cut. Through it you will wield far more powerful magic than with a lifeless staff."  
  
Alede's mouth dropped open and Radagast looked as if he would like to do the same. This was the stuff of legend. Alede had heard of living staffs, but she had had no idea that they were real. It was a kingly gift.  
  
Radagast held the staff reverently and it was a moment before he found his voice and bowed low.  
  
"You have my deepest thanks, King Thranduil. It is with great joy that I accept your gift and welcome you into our family."  
  
Alede thought that Thranduil scowled just a bit at the mention of 'family'.  
  
Cyrus came forward just then bearing two small falcons on his arms.  
  
Radagast turned to the king and cleared his throat. "My gift to you, Your Majesty is a mated pair of Shrykes . . ."  
  
He paused slightly when several of the company muttered sounds of awe and surprise. The tiny black falcons were extremely rare and considered the best hunters in all of Middle Earth. Their glossy feathers glistened with blue highlights beneath the torches. They wore no tethers and hopped nimbly to Thranduil's arm. They were not tamed or domesticated birds by any means, but such was Radagast's skill with birds, they had agreed to serve the King of the Greenwood.  
  
"As I am sure you are aware, Your Majesty, Shrykes are the fastest fliers in all of Middle Earth. If you wish it, they could deliver a message from here to Ithilien in less than a day."  
  
Again a murmur of appreciation went through the gathered Elves. Messenger birds were hard to come by even for Elves, and not always reliable.  
  
Thranduil spoke quietly to the birds for several moments, his guests apparently forgotten. His genuine pleasure in the gift was evident and Alede relaxed for the first time all evening.  
  
The Shrykes too seemed to relax in their host's presence. The male cocked his head, listening intently to the King's words and finally fluffed his crest in a congenial gesture. The female stretched a leg and a wing in a typical avian greeting.  
  
Alede smiled. It appeared that the birds and the King were well pleased with each other.  
  
Cyrus unobtrusively brought forth a perch stand for the birds and Thranduil called out to one of his servants.  
  
"Bring fresh meat for our two small guests!"  
  
The two birds fluttered nimbly to the perch at Thranduil's request, their bright eyes looking around at the gathering. Thranduil turned back to Radagast and bowed.  
  
"It is with great pleasure that I accept your gift," his voice rang with sincerity and Alede briefly wondered if Thranduil had expected something less worthy from them.  
  
*Does he think us simpletons?*  
  
Once again her musing made her miss the King's rather lengthy speech. Thranduil did like to talk. Radagast was looking pleased though by the time it was over and Alede broke out of her reverie realizing it was time for her to present her own gift.  
  
She stood up as Cyrus once again acted as their servant and accepted the heavy wooden box he handed her. She turned and placed it before the King.  
  
The lidded box had been carved by one of Rivendell's finest woodworkers. Inside, nestled in velvet lay a large vial carved from Glittering Cave crystal. Alede did not think she would mention that fact to Thranduil, though he might suspect it was of Dwarvish origin. It had been quite costly as well, though Alede guessed that Gimli would not have charged her so dearly if the gift had been made for anyone but Thranduil. There was a second vial in one of her trunks, a gift to Legolas and it had been only half the price.  
  
The King lifted it up, holding it to the light.  
  
"It is distillation of Unicorn's horn," Alede explained and Thranduil was so surprised that he lowered the vial and stared at her. This particular distillation took many years and was extremely difficult. Alede had begun it the day after Legolas had declared their betrothal and it had taken the last of her powdered unicorn horn.  
  
"As I'm sure you know, Your Majesty," Alede said, unconsciously repeating her father's words, "one drop of the liquid will purify anything it touches, whether it be a meadow, a stream or a person. Since it is your intention to stay in Middle Earth, I wished to give you some method of keeping your kingdom pure down through the ages."  
  
She looked up hesitantly, not sure how Thranduil would take her little speech. There was always the chance that he would be offended. He might think that she implied he could not keep his land pure with his own form of Elvin magic.  
  
But instead of anger in his eyes, Alede saw . . . she blinked in surprise, gratitude. And even a hint of satisfaction as if her actions confirmed something he had long suspected.  
  
Alede was so surprised that she did not hear Thranduil's expression of thanks. She was instead focused on the sincerity that she saw reflected in his twilight colored eyes.  
  
Her feelings toward this Elf were so conflicting. She hated him because of her imprisonment and because of his quick temper and impatience. She hated him because of the games he played with people and the hurt those games caused.  
  
Yet at the same time, she respected and admired him. He had kept Mirkwood safe for his people all these centuries, with very little aid. The house of Oropher was renowned for its quick temper and stubborn nature. She suspected that it stemmed from the enormity of the Greenwood and the challenges that the kingdom faced. She found herself reluctantly liking him and wished he could do the same for her.  
  
And . . . he was Legolas' father. For that reason alone, she wished she could gain his acceptance.  
  
A small wooden box was placed in front of her. Alede knew what it contained, Elladan and Elrohir had instructed her.  
  
The mîr-o mel. Also known as the 'wedding chain'. It was a long, light chain made of tiny links, often set with jewels. During an Elvin wedding, the delicate chain was briefly wrapped around the clasped hands of the bride and groom, an ancient tradition of hand fasting. Later, the wife wore it around her waist, signifying her rank as a married woman and displaying her husband's love for her.  
  
And the love of his family.  
  
The wedding chain was always given by the groom's family. Alede could only imagine what the box before her might contain. She reached out a slightly unsteady hand.  
  
Thranduil would follow custom, of that she was sure. The chain would no doubt be of rather poor quality though. She knew that the king would not waste any more of his precious silver on her. Not that she really cared about its quality. Riches were not important to her. She only hoped it was not some great heavy awkward thing that she would dread wearing the rest of her life . . .  
  
Alede's mouth dropped open. Nestled amidst a sea of black velvet, the delicate golden chain shone like braided threads of sunlight. Bright emeralds winked at her and a flutter of gilt oak leaves dangled from the links.  
  
It was breathtaking.  
  
It was more than breathtaking. It was stunning, exquisite . . . Alede's mind ran out of adjectives. It was more beautiful than she ever could have imagined or hoped for.  
  
With shaking hands, she stood and lifted it out, holding it up for the assembly to see. The tiny oak leaves quaked with the movement, looking as if they were real leaves dancing on a bough in the breeze.  
  
There were sounds of delight from the company assembled, but Alede barely heard them. Her attention, once she could wrench her gaze from the mîr-o mel, was riveted on King Thranduil. He had stood as she did and the look in his eyes transfixed her. Great emotion burned in those twilight depths for only a moment, then he quickly masked it. But not before Alede had seen a glimpse of acceptance and perhaps even respect in his bright eyes.  
  
Carefully setting the wedding chain back in its box, she curtsied deeply to him.  
  
"I am very, very honored, Your Majesty. You do me great honor . . ." Alede fumbled to a stop, realizing how awkward she sounded.  
  
*By the Valar! I'm babbling!*  
  
But to her astonishment, Thranduil came to her rescue.  
  
"You are Legolas' betrothed," he said, speaking loudly enough that all the company might hear. "From now on, you will not curtsy to me and you will address me as 'Father'."  
  
She could not help the smile of joy that brightened her face. Astonishment and pleasure overrode Alede's normally good judgment and she impulsively stepped forward to kiss his smooth cheek.  
  
"Thank you, Father," she said quietly, stepping back and regretfully wondering if her emotional action had destroyed his opinion of her. Looking up at him earnestly, she added, "I will do everything in my power to make your son happy."  
  
Thranduil nodded, hiding his pleasure over her impulsive gesture. Alede really did have one of the sweetest smiles he had ever seen. It lit up her face, making her more feminine. Yet at the same time it had childlike quality that was infectious.  
  
Not that her smile could sway him. "That would be well," Thranduil said, referring to her promise about Legolas' happiness. "For if he is not, I shall come and deal with you myself."  
  
Alede could not help a small ironic laugh. "Of that I have no doubt."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Zarraweth gloated over her scrying bowl as she watched the images slide across the surface of the griffon tears. This worked far better than plain water.  
  
She watched as the four armies parted and went their separate ways. The wall of wind had worked far better than she had hoped, though the incantation had been difficult to understand and had taken too long. She had wanted to cast it as soon as the armies engaged each other.  
  
*That was Malina's fault of course. The woman hadn't researched the spells well enough!*  
  
But it didn't matter. They were gone, though Zarraweth had thought that more of them would be killed than they were. The battle had been practically a route. She had not realized that Orcs were such poor fighters. She had assumed when she sent them to attack that they would kill off at least half of the invading army.  
  
That it was her own mistake, never occurred to her.  
  
*It doesn't matter!* At least the Orcs were gone. She had intended to kill them anyway once they had served their purpose. Vile, filthy creatures. She couldn't understand how Sauron had put up with them.  
  
She watched as the long column of Elves continued southward. She would have to deal with them. They were the ones who had stopped the traders slipping out the back door of Mordor and into Harad. The Elves had even killed some of those traders, the more stubborn ones. That was bad for business.  
  
And Zarraweth enjoyed her business. Selling Sauron's little toys for gold was a very good trade. Though now that she had the griffon, she supposed that she no longer needed a trade.  
  
Laughing, Zarraweth sat back in her chair and considered Maladok. The wizard had come to her several months ago, so full of himself he had strutted like a peacock. At first she had thought him too asinine to be of any use to her. But when he had mentioned his transformation abilities, Zarraweth had taken notice.  
  
It had taken little effort to seduce him, the wizard had been desperate for her by the time she coaxed him into her bed. It had taken even less effort to bring him completely under her control.  
  
Movement in the scrying bowl caught her attention again and she focused on the Elf who had led the armies. Zarraweth knew little of Elves. She avoided them as much as possible. There was something about their bright eyes that frightened her, making her feel guilty and ashamed. And the possibility that any being could possess more physical beauty than she did was unthinkable.  
  
She watched the Elf with his moonbeam colored hair as he rode up and down the column of warriors, encouraging them on their long trip home. She would have to do something about him.  
  
*Perhaps I can arrange a little welcome home gift for him* Zarraweth smiled unpleasantly. Standing up, she headed toward the tower which Maladok was locked in. She wondered if he had swallowed his pride yet and eaten the Elf she had given him.  
  
She chuckled softly. The twenty Elves in the dungeon had been quite a surprise. They were obviously all that was left of some little game of Sauron's. It might be amusing to see what sorts of fun could be had with them.  
  
Still laughing, Zarraweth mounted the long stairs to the tower, a bowl for collecting griffon tears in her hand. She had best begin now. This spell would take a few days.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"I did not know you intended to travel with us," Alede stammered as she hurried after the King and tried to keep up with Thranduil's long strides. The King's announcement that he would be journeying with them to Ithilien came as a complete and very unwelcome surprise.  
  
"I was not aware that I needed your permission to see my son," Thranduil said with his customary snideness.  
  
"Of course not," Alede said with exasperation. "But I'm sure that Legolas had hoped you would attend the wedding in a year's time. Surely you will not wish to make two such long journeys in such a short time?"  
  
"By which you mean to keep me from accompanying you now, do you not?" Thranduil said coldly, coming to an abrupt stop and whirling around. So abrupt in fact that Alede nearly ran into him. Thranduil folded his arms across his chest as she stumbled to a stop.  
  
Because she was embarrassed and distressed she missed the tiny quirk of amusement at the corner of Thranduil's mouth which he quickly hid.  
  
"I did not mean . . ."  
  
"Did you not?" Thranduil fixed her with his intense eyes and Alede found that she could not answer. Of course she did not want him to travel with them, but she could not say so.  
  
"Long have I wished to journey to my son's kingdom," Thranduil said, his voice cold. "And whether you wish it or not, I will be your travel companion." He did not mention that he also intended to see that Alede reach Ithilien safely. He certainly did not trust her father to do it. Radagast was a well meaning wizard, but he was neither the brightest nor the most powerful of the Maiar.  
  
"And as for your wedding," he added, "I imagine it will take place long after you and Legolas have crossed over the sea."  
  
Alede shook her head. "Oh no . . . We will be in Ithilien several years at least. The wedding will take place within the year."  
  
"I hardly think so," Thranduil said, keeping his face neutral. "Elvin courtships usually last two hundred years."  
  
"TWO HUNDRED YEARS?"  
  
Thranduil nearly lost control of himself at the astounded look on her face.  
  
"But . . . but, Elrohir told me . . ."  
  
"Ah," the King nodded, "Noldor Elves have different customs than those of us in the Greenwood."  
  
"But . . ." Alede could not believe what she was hearing. Two hundred years! Looking up, she caught a twinkle in the King's eyes. Narrowing her own suspiciously, she asked,  
  
"How long was your own courtship, if I might ask?"  
  
"Two days."  
  
"Two . . .?"  
  
Alede caught the gleam of mischief in Thranduil's eyes as he turned away from her and also the flash of the first real smile she had ever seen on his face.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
[Two days later in Ithilien]  
  
Legolas finished rubbing himself dry and tied the towel about his waist. Pushing his fingers through his damp hair, he walked out of his bathing chamber, down the hall and out onto the bridge. The bridge swayed slightly with the movements of the trees which supported his dwelling. So familiar with the sway of the wind in the branches, Legolas did not even notice the movement. Like a sailor accustomed by many years at sea to the heaving deck beneath his feet, the wood elf was completely at home in the huge Culhalla trees.  
  
Seventy-five feet up the huge trunks reached for the sky and only then did their leafy crown begin. Legolas looked around at the smooth gray bark, straight limbs and the glorious red golden leaves which gave the tree their name. In all of his travels he had never seen trees so straight and tall. And in Ithilien they existed only in this valley that he had chosen as his home.  
  
The breeze teased at the damp hair on his shoulders and set the bridge to swaying again. Legolas glanced over at the dwelling that was now connected to his by the bridge.  
  
It looked like a huge silver gray raindrop.  
  
Gimli had been the first to call attention to the dwellings' resemblance to drops of water. Legolas had not really considered that when he had begun to design the tree dwellings. He had conceived of a natural shape, one whose steeply pointed roof would easily shed rainwater. The rounded bottom looked pleasing from the ground and provided a storage space beneath the flat floor inside.  
  
The pods, as his people usually called them, were deceptively large inside. From the ground they looked no bigger than a single room. Visitors though were surprised to discover that each "raindrop" contained many spacious rooms filled with huge windows that let in the dappled sunlight.  
  
Each pod also had a string of balconies both close to the dwelling and climbing up into the trees. Many bridges like the one Legolas stood on connected other dwellings and stairs circled the vast trunks just as they did in Lothlorien.  
  
The effect of Legolas' city in the trees was one of sophisticated harmony and he was eager to show it off, not only to Alede but also to his father.  
  
A tiny little Shryke had been waiting for him when he had reached home, bearing a message that Alede and his father were departing the Greenwood. This would be Thranduil's first trip to Ithilien and Legolas' excitement about their coming was enough to block out the worry of Mordor.  
  
Almost.  
  
Running his fingers through his hair again in a restless gesture, Legolas thought over his meeting with his steward and his advisors upon his arrival home. The magic used in Barad-Dûr had been so strong it had been felt here in Ithilien.  
  
All his people were unsettled by this new threat and by the deceptive ease of the battle. Why would someone waste Orc warriors so carelessly? That Legolas and his allies had probably killed the majority of the Orc population in Mordor no longer comforted him. Was there an even greater army in reserve? Was that why the magic user sent them to their deaths?  
  
Sighing in frustration, Legolas forcefully turned his thoughts away from this. He had gone over the subject with his advisors for hours after arriving home and they had accomplished nothing. Like it or not, he would have to wait for the advise of Alede and her father when they arrived.  
  
*At least they will be here soon.* A little knot of anticipation formed in Legolas' belly. It was not an unpleasant feeling.  
  
I feel as if I have swallowed a dozen butterflies, Legolas thought with a grin.  
  
Much preparation had been done in the past five years in anticipation of Alede's arrival. Two large, comfortable suites had been built in the Great Hall for Radagast and Cyrus. Their windows looked out onto the forest stream.  
  
Lavish guest quarters had been built to the east of Legolas' dwelling. They would house his father when he came and on the west side had been built Alede's home. He had labored on most of it himself, not trusting anyone else's hand but his own. Even after it had been finished, he kept adding little details, the large swinging bench on the balcony, the huge bookcases in her library.  
  
The two dwellings were separated by the bridge for now, Legolas had thought that Radagast would find that more proper. But after their wedding, Legolas would join the two into one huge dwelling, with enough rooms for several children when the time came.  
  
Legolas grinned. He and Alede had not discussed the idea of children. He wondered if she would be pleased or dismayed by the prolific nature of his family. Thranduil had fathered seven children, as many as Feanor of old and Legolas intended to match those numbers if Alede wished it.  
  
Someday.  
  
*I will not be willing to share her with anyone for many years to come though.*  
  
With those intriguing thoughts to distract him, Legolas turned to go back inside. It was nearly time for him to mind-speak with Alede as he did each evening at sundown.  
  
But before he could go inside, the breeze suddenly picked up. His Culhalla tree heaved and swayed as moist air from the coast moved abruptly into the valley. Below him, Legolas' beloved oak trees groaned with the sudden wind.  
  
Lifting his head, Legolas scented the air. This new wind carried the tang of salt with it and Legolas' sea longing stirred where it slept at the back of his brain. But long practice enabled him to lock it down. Alede had long ago defeated it for him and it was nothing but an uncomfortable memory that stirred now and again.  
  
But the Bay of Belfalas was many leagues away and for the air to carry the scent of it, must mean that quite a storm brewed in the open sea.  
  
Walking back inside, Legolas went to the wardrobe in his bedchamber and dressed. Hurrying back outside, he stepped off of his balcony, catching a limb over his head. Swiftly he pulled himself up into the highest branches of the Culhalla tree that could support his slight weight.  
  
From this vantage point he was able to see across the valley and down to the sparkling Anduin.  
  
Except that the Anduin was not sparkling.  
  
Immense clouds moved into the western sky at an unbelievable pace, blocking out the setting sun. And from those clouds dropped down a massive vortex of wind and water. It was very like another wall of wind that Legolas had seen only recently. The hurricane was enormous. At this distance, even Legolas' eyes should not have been able to see a phenomenon of weather, yet the hurricane was clearly visible.  
  
And it was very clearly moving toward Southern Ithilien at an astonishing rate. Legolas scrambled down out of his perch as quickly as he could, intent upon reaching the warning bell that hung in the great hall.  
  
But he never made it. In moments, the storm was upon him and he felt his grasp on the branches slip as the wind driven rain flung itself upon his city.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews on chapter 1 and 2. You guys are terrific! I don't think that any author on this board has such fantastic readers as you. I feel really fortunate! Thank you very much!!!  
  
I apologize for the vanishing link at the end of chapter 2 for the Griffon photo. I can't seem to get the link to work anywhere! I even tried posting it on my bio page with no luck. I'm not quite sure what's going on. If I ever figure it out, I'll try to post it.  
  
Many of you have expressed regret that Elrohir has returned to Rivendell. Don't worry! He'll be coming to Ithilien in a little while. :D And he'll be quite heavily featured in the fifth story, "Elvin Home" where he will even fight a duel! So, be patient. ;)  
  
While trying to think up a name for the falcons that Radagast gifts King Thranduil with, I asked my Hubby for some ideas. Unfortunately the smartass's suggestion of "thunder chicken" was not to be taken seriously. *rolls eyes* However I must thank him for the suggestion of the "living staff" and for allowing me to borrow his character, Maladok. :D  
  
** The trees and the name of Legolas' city are my own invention and therefore any mistakes in Sindarin are mine as well.  
  
Culhalla: cul = golden/red, halla = tall Eryn Cuhallas = Wood of the Tall Golden/Red Trees (lol! Not very original, is it?)  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed. 


	4. Green Waves

{A/N: Sorry I did not post last week!!!!! I was having internet trouble. Grrrrr . . .}  
  
THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 4 ~ "Green Waves"  
  
Alede brought Faunlend to an abrupt halt and dropped to the ground. She turned her head, 'listening' to a roar of magic that seemed to surround her.  
  
"Aly?" Radagast called, as his horse approached her. "I thought we'd agreed to make camp up there by those trees where King Thranduil is waiting?"  
  
"Hush Father," Alede admonished. She turned toward Radagast but the old wizard could see that her sight was focused inward.  
  
"What is it, Daughter?"  
  
"Do you not hear it, Father?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
Alede was astonished that her father could not hear the magic. It roared like the ocean and she could feel its powerful waves pushing through the air.  
  
"Magic, Father. Like before . . . it is so powerful. How can you not hear it?"  
  
"Aly . . . I do not know. Are you certain . . ?"  
  
But Alede had turned away from him. She was looking where Thranduil had paused near the trees. When he had announced his intention a few days ago to travel with them, Alede had been horrified. But now, looking at his rigid posture as he stood gazing southward she was suddenly very glad of his presence. He could hear it too, of that she was certain.  
  
Flinging herself back on to Faunlend's back, Alede raced to the King.  
  
"You hear it too, do you not?" Alede asked as she slid to the ground beside the tall Elf.  
  
"Silence, girl!"  
  
Alede closed her mouth, not even taking offence at the rebuke. The magic battered all around her like wings beating upon her senses. It pressed on her ears and throbbed in her forehead. Never had she felt anything like it. It was wild, untamed magic and rode upon the air in great waves. If the King of Eagles could make magic, it would sound like this.  
  
Looking up at Thranduil she hoped that he would give some sign. Did he know what it was? He was millennia older than she. Surely he'd experienced something like this before.  
  
Storm clouds set an appropriate backdrop for the King's equally stormy countenance. His golden hair streamed out behind him in the wind and his sculpted face was grim.  
  
Alede started to speak, ready to dare his wrath once again if only he knew what was happening. But the sound of Legolas' song suddenly broke through her thoughts.  
  
"Legolas . . ." She only whispered his name, but it was enough to snap Thranduil around. He grabbed her arms roughly.  
  
"What is happening to my son?" he shouted.  
  
Alede yelped in surprise at his rough grasp. But her focus was still inward on the panic stricken notes that came from Legolas. Never had she felt such fear from him.  
  
Thranduil shook her. "What is happening?"  
  
"I . . ." Alede closed her eyes, shutting out Thranduil's fierce countenance.  
  
Fear, panic, worry, desperation . . . the emotions flooded her senses. Normally Legolas' feelings were so calm, or at least they had been since she and Gimli had stepped in to combat the call of the sea.  
  
"Legolas is afraid," she said, feeling the tight grip on her arms still. "He's afraid, not for himself, but for his people. I know not what threatens him though."  
  
"Help him," Thranduil commanded, giving her another little shake. "You must help him!"  
  
"I know not how! Tell me how!" Alede cried. But even as she said it, she reached out, though Thranduil had not answered her. Or he might have answered her and she did not hear, for her mind was intent upon crossing the long leagues to touch the mind of the one she loved. But when she reached Legolas, the magic tangled with her song and she felt it crashing over her. The pressure she'd felt before seemed to grow in her forehead. She tried to push against it, to force it back to where ever it had come from. And then she felt Legolas doing the same, felt him pushing something, whatever it was, forcing it away.  
  
She was vaguely aware that some other song had joined with Legolas'. Wild and strong, it lent its power to the young prince's struggle and Alede was glad for its strength for this was something far beyond her.  
  
How long she stood battling with the force that threw its magic at Legolas, she did not know. But she felt the moment that the power turned and crumpled upon itself and died, leaving only a whisper of magic in the wind.  
  
And the sound of sobbing.  
  
Alede sagged and would have fallen if not for Thranduil's grip upon her. But he stumbled as well, as if he were very tired.  
  
"Legolas is . . . he has not been harmed," Alede told him.  
  
She blinked her eyes open and found that the land was completely dark and the tents were set up around them. Radagast was wringing his hands in worry beside her. He looked as if he'd been there a long time.  
  
"Take her," Thranduil said, pushing her roughly toward the old wizard. "She needs sleep."  
  
Alede did not argue as her father led her away, but she did look back at the King and wondered at the weary stoop to his shoulders.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas slowly uncurled his fingers from the branch. He was certain he'd find imprints where his fingers had gripped the wood so tightly after his fall and the subsequent battle with the storm.  
  
The hurricane had abated. It had turned east toward Mordor and crashed against the unyielding Ash Mountains. It had been those rocky peaks that had finally defeated it.  
  
*But I turned it. When it would not retreat to the sea, I turned it.*  
  
Legolas shook his head, which only served to send the headache that had built in his forehead, crashing around inside his scull.  
  
Thranduil had told him about this. Long ago he had spoken of an Elf king's ability to protect his land. Legolas knew that Thranduil had protected the Greenwood from many things, sometimes even the weather. But it was such a normal part of his life that he'd never really questioned that ability. Nor had he ever thought to ask for its instruction.  
  
But tonight when he had seen that enormous wall of wind driven water roaring into his valley, something had awoke inside of him, something primitive and ancient.  
  
It had been terrifying. It had been exhilarating.  
  
Forcing the emotions out of his head, he turned to see his steward bounding up the long stairs. Climbing down, he dropped lightly to the balcony.  
  
"Your Highness! Are you well? What was that?"  
  
"Peace, Mändel! My head is about to split in two!"  
  
"I am sorry, my lord, but what was that?"  
  
Legolas shook his head carefully. "I do not know. But I am certain it came from Mordor. Hurricanes do not come this far inland. It had the same look as the vortex that cast us out of Mordor. It was too well directed to have been natural and there was a strange keening on the wind that I have heard before. But let us go down now and see to my people. I fear there may be wounded. We will solve this puzzle later."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The city itself was not badly damaged, but the outlying settlements had suffered considerable damage. In some cases entire homes had been ripped from the branches by the wind and sent plummeting to the ground. Legolas had commanded healers to accompany him and they set to work immediately, though fortunately there were no life threatening injuries.  
  
The sun was starting to rise when he had seen the last of the homeless placed with family or friends. His carpenters were already beginning repairs.  
  
"It could have been much worse," Mändel said cautiously. He had served under King Thranduil and was well aware of the Oropher temper. But Legolas was of a more practical turn of nature than his father. Fits of anger would serve no purpose here.  
  
"Aye, it could have been. Though I fear it may be bad enough."  
  
They had been making their way down to the Anduin, walking through the tangle of fallen trees and broken limbs of the forest. The hurricane had cut a strangely straight path through the forest as if it had been a scythe instead of a weather phenomenon. When they finally came out upon the plains surrounding the river a grim sight met them.  
  
A wide swath of devastation showed where the vortex of the hurricane had left the Anduin and tore its way toward the forest. Legolas' carefully planted and nurtured vineyards lay in ruin. The tangled vines had been ripped from the earth and tossed about like child's toys.  
  
Legolas sighed heavily and squatted down, lifting the vines of one precious plant, which still bore the partially developed fruits of this year's wine crop.  
  
Beside him, Mändel was silent. The vineyards represented one of their major trade items. Ithilien wine had become a much sought after item even as far away as the Misty Mountains. But now . . . Legolas looked around at the devastation and felt his spirits plummet. Each newly planted grape vine took four years of careful tending before it produced its first meager crop.  
  
Legolas stood up. In his hands were a few of the useless hard green nubs that would have turned into grapes by late summer.  
  
"Well, Mändel, we have made our sweet wines famous all over Middle Earth. Do you think there is a market for sour, bitter wine?"  
  
Mändel remained silent after his Lord's futile attempt at jest and watched him worriedly as he turned to walk back to the city.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Zarraweth chuckled happily as she watched the Elvin prince walk dejectedly back into the forest. She had injured his purse strings, an Elf's most vulnerable part.  
  
Or so she thought.  
  
*He will not wage war on me so easily now that I have crippled his kingdom financially!*  
  
Zarraweth had been rather surprised that he had been able to push aside her vortex. It had been astonishing to watch his primitive magic battling hers.  
  
She dismissed the incident though. It was probably the griffon's fault.  
  
The scrying bowl had started to cloud. With a flick of her wrist she emptied it out on the stone floor near the hearth, where it hissed and steamed. The griffon's tears had less potency than when she first used them.  
  
No doubt it was because the idiot wizard Maladok had decided to starve himself rather than eat the food she sent him. She shook her head in disgust. Why would a griffon care what it ate?  
  
He had wasted the first Elf she had sent to him, allowed it to leap to its death. She could not allow that to happen again, so only yesterday she had had one of them killed and the meat taken up to the griffon, but again he had refused.  
  
At least that Elf had not gone to waste. The Orcs had made short work of it.  
  
But now she had to waste time while a few Orcs went up into the mountains hunting for deer or whatever they could find. She had had no idea the griffon would be this difficult to feed. Nor could she understand why he was refusing her commands. The manacles should assure his absolute obedience, but Maladok had flat out refused to eat the Elf. Even after she'd beaten him and singed his feathers, he had refused.  
  
Obviously Sauron had not been as all-powerful as everyone had thought. The little relics of his magic that he'd left behind were not living up to her expectations.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Are you capable of controlling the weather in your realm?" Alede asked as she rode beside King Thranduil.  
  
They had risen at first light and not broken their fast until they were well down the road. Alede had called down a wild hawk as they traveled to send a message to Gimli, informing him of their change of plans. Initially they had intended to swing west so that Alede might enjoy the Dwarf's hospitality at the Glittering Caves. Though Alede regretted missing the dwarvin kingdom, she knew that she and Legolas would doubtlessly travel there at a later date. For now they must reach Ithilien as quickly as possible.  
  
And Gimli would not be forced to endure King Thranduil's presence in his home.  
  
*If I could have convinced Thranduil to travel there in the first place!*  
  
"Why do you ask?" King Thranduil said and it took her a moment to remember that she had asked him about his weather controlling abilities.  
  
"Your powers are legendary in Rivendell," Alede said with a shrug, "So I wondered if they were real or if they were purely the stuff of legend."  
  
Because she was watching for it, Alede saw the tiny twitch of a smile on the corner of Thranduil's mouth.  
  
"Who has told you of this 'legend', young one?"  
  
Alede ignored the term 'young one'. Thranduil had certainly called her much worse, though it still pricked at her pride a bit. She was hardly 'young'.  
  
"Elladan. He said that you have the original power of the Elves. I supposed since you have no ring of power, he meant that you have relied upon whatever gifts you already possessed."  
  
"Never suppose what another means," Thranduil instructed. "You do not know what Elladan had in his mind when he spoke. You should have asked for clarification."  
  
Alede threw him an irritated glance. "Yes, I suppose I should have. But all conversation is made up of small assumptions and it is a little late for me to ask him about it now. I never saw Elrond tampering with the weather, so I assumed that you must be different."  
  
"Simply because you did not see Elrond 'tampering' with the weather, as you put it, does not mean that he did not. Nor does it mean that he was not capable of it."  
  
"I imagine," Alede said throwing her hands up in frustration, "that Elrond could have blown the Misty Mountains to bits if he'd set his mind to it! I was merely trying to illustrate the differences between your two kingdoms. The Greenwood has always struck me as being more natural than Rivendell."  
  
"More primitive, you mean," Thranduil said.  
  
"Nay, that is not what I mean!" Alede cried in frustration. "Now it is you who is making assumptions!" Turning to him she saw once again the tiny quirk on the side of his mouth.  
  
He was deliberately antagonizing her!  
  
Alede huffed out a big breath and silently counted to ten. When that did not help, she worked her way up to fifty. Once she felt she could control her voice, she tried a different tactic with Thranduil. She would not allow it him to spark her temper again.  
  
"Did your mother ever instruct you not to bait your daughter in law?" she asked, keeping her tone as light and teasing as she was able.  
  
Thranduil surprised her by throwing back his head and laughing.  
  
"Nay, she did not."  
  
Alede shook her head at the strangeness of the Elf. She had an uncomfortable feeling that even after many decades she would never understand him.  
  
It was not until they were many leagues down the road that she realized he had never answered her question about controlling the weather.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas looked around at his counselors gathered in the great hall.  
  
"The repairs are progressing at a good rate. By the end of the week, those who were displaced will have their homes back." He gestured at one of the Elves seated at the end of the table. "Girwyn has made an excellent suggestion. He will gather those of our people who have some knowledge of weather magic and disperse them to the outer areas of our kingdom. They will be on the alert for future attacks, so that we may have some warning." Legolas paused as one of the counselors made a gesture asking to be acknowledged. "Yes?"  
  
"Are we so certain that the attack will come in the form of weather, Sire? So far these strange vortexes have caused us damage certainly, but not of a catastrophic nature. Is it not reasonable to assume that the next attack will be some other form of dark magic, something more deadly?"  
  
"It is a possibility, which is why I am sending scouts into Mordor once again to watch the tower. We need as much information as possible. But as to the form of magic that might be used . . ." Legolas paused, trying to find the words to properly describe his hunch. "Thus far we have been beset by wind driven magic only. I . . . instinct tells me this dark power has limited abilities."  
  
One of his warriors nodded. "Remember the enemy's follies upon on the battle field. This 'dark lord' seems inexperienced."  
  
Legolas nodded in agreement. "Yet we must not underestimate him. When Lady Alede and her party arrive we will consult with them. Perhaps wizards are more familiar with this type of magic and know how to combat it. In the mean time, I am asking for volunteers to travel down the Anduin. Considering the amount of damage we received here, we may assume that the human settlements near the delta are in need of aid." He turned to another of his counselors who had gestured his willingness. "Organize a party equipped with food and medicines and leave as soon as possible."  
  
The Elf nodded and Legolas continued, "And I have some good news concerning our grape crops . . ."  
  
Eyebrows raised all around the table. All had seen the devastation and had thought the crop a total loss.  
  
"Our head healer," Legolas said, "tells me that the unripened grapes can be made into a potent infusion used to wash wounds. He will mix it with witch hazel and marigold. I am told that it is highly coveted by the Men of the Mark for treating their horse's injuries."  
  
Smiles met that information.  
  
"Rohan will pay good coin to keep their horses fit," Mändel said with a grin.  
  
"Aye," Legolas agreed. "This year's crop will not be the total loss we assumed it to be. We will benefit our allies and make some little profit after all."  
  
"Though perhaps not enough to impress your betrothed," teased one of his warriors. "She may think that she has made a poor bargain marrying into such a poverty stricken kingdom."  
  
Legolas laughed, "Come! We are not so very poor! If you lazy people would get to your work, I am certain our kingdom would prosper. But as it is now . . ." He left the sentence unfinished and grinned at them.  
  
His people laughed and rose from their chairs, making a few teasing remarks as they left. Legolas' good-natured smile faded as he was left alone. He was far more worried than he had let his people know and profit had little to do with his troubles.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Why must you wear such unbecoming clothing?" Thranduil asked with a curl of his lip. "Is it truly your wish to emulate the barbarians of the southern country?"  
  
Alede looked up at him in astonishment and then down at her rugged breaches. She had been watching the sky in anticipation of a message from Gimli. Thranduil's question took her completely by surprise.  
  
"We still have several days on the road, my Lord," she said as if that were explanation enough. But when Thranduil merely raised an imperious eyebrow, she continued. "A gown would be impractical! It would be hopelessly torn and soiled by the time I reached Ithilien as well as being too light for the ever changing weather."  
  
"I see," he responded in a tone, which indicated that he did not. Apparently the truce, which had existed between them while Legolas fought the storm, was now over.  
  
"I suppose it never occurred to you to have a cloak made which might protect you from the capriciousness of the weather?" Thranduil asked in his biting tone.  
  
"Well, of course I've had a cloak made . . ." Alede began. She stopped however. She knew that Thranduil was baiting her again. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I have gowns and a fancy cloak which were made by the ladies in Rivendell and I promise to change into more suitable clothing once we have reached Ithilien. I have no intention of embarrassing your son. However," and her voice took on a steely tone, "Legolas seems to have no objection to the clothing I wear. He knows that I am of a practical turn of mind and I seriously doubt that anything I wear will be of surprise to him."  
  
Thranduil ignored this explanation and went on as if she had never given it.  
  
"Had I known you were so poorly outfitted, I would have had my people supply you with clothing. I suppose you have spent all the coin I gave you?"  
  
"Spent all the . . ?" Alede sputtered to a stop. With an inarticulate cry of irritation, she urged Faunlend into a sudden gallop and sprang away from the company, galloping down the road ahead of them.  
  
With a sound of irritation of his own, Thranduil sprang into pursuit, his huge gray stallion catching up with the mare easily.  
  
But Alede had achieved her purpose. Dismounting, she whirled to face Thranduil angrily and reached up to grasp his ankle. If the King had not already started to dismount, she did not know what she would have done standing there tugging on him ineffectually. But as it was he dropped lightly to the ground beside her.  
  
"You will never run away from me again," he said in a low voice like a snarl, which Alede knew was more dangerous than his usual quarrelsome tones. Nevertheless, she was through being bullied by him.  
  
"No, but I will put us out of earshot of your people for I will speak frankly . . ."  
  
"I have never noticed you curbing your tongue in my presence," Thranduil observed spitefully.  
  
"For Legolas' sake," she snarled back, "I have shown you great respect! But it is time for us to face facts. I am going to marry Legolas! Whether you like it or not, you are stuck with me as a daughter and I refuse to be bullied by you any more! I may not be the wife that you would choose for your son. But I love him and I am good to him and I will always have his best interests at heart! And, since you deem bloodlines of so much importance, I am one of the Maia and a servant of the Valar. Your behavior toward me borders on insolence!" Before Thranduil could comment she continued. "I intend to marry Legolas and not you nor the fates themselves can stop me!"  
  
"I am perfectly aware of your status," Thranduil returned in angry tones. "But you seem completely unaware of the status you will hold in my son's kingdom! What do you know of ruling? For, in case it has not occurred to you, Legolas is king in his own right and you will rule as his queen!"  
  
Alede was a little taken aback by his words and Thranduil jumped at the opportunity.  
  
"Ha! As I thought! His rank and subsequently your own, has not occurred to you, has it?"  
  
Alede's mouth fell open but she could think of nothing to say.  
  
"What do you know of governing?" Thranduil asked heatedly. "What do you know of politics, of finance or trade or of commanding people? What do you know of the proper decorum that is necessary of royalty?"  
  
"I . . ." Alede stumbled, "I am a quick learner. I will absorb all that Legolas tells me . . ."  
  
Thranduil snorted. "Legolas spent two thousand years at my court under my tutelage, what do you hope to learn in so short a time?"  
  
"I . . . I will learn as quickly as I must and support him in every way I can," Alede protested, still shaken by the King's revelation. Of course she had thought about Legolas' status, but it had never truly 'sunk' in before. "I will not be a burden to Legolas . . ."  
  
"Good," Thranduil said, swinging himself up on his horse. "Mount and we will begin your instruction now."  
  
"But . . ."  
  
"Mount!"  
  
Alede turned and saw the rest of the company quickly approaching. Reluctantly, she mounted Faunlend and fell into step beside the King. As she did so, he began to lecture her on the policies of running a kingdom. He lectured her all the rest of that day and the next and the next until Alede thought that she might go mad.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
When the Elves spotted five short figures in the distance, Alede nearly fainted with relief. Her hawk had returned from the Glittering caves bearing welcome news. Gimli would meet them where the Entwash joined the Anduin. She had been keeping a hopeful watch as they had traveled all day.  
  
Knowing that Thranduil would not follow her this time, she urged Faunlend forward into a ground-eating gallop.  
  
"Gimli!" Alede dropped from her horse and ran to the squat, red haired dwarf. "I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you!" She fell to her knees in front of the old warrior and gave him a fierce hug. He returned it earnestly, patting her on the back.  
  
"Been traveling with King Pain in the Butt, have you?"  
  
Alede laughed. "Yes, but that is only partly why I am glad to see you."  
  
"Ah . . ." Gimli glanced around at his Dwarvish companions. "She has finally come to her senses and wants to marry me, instead of that stick of an Elf!"  
  
The other dwarves chuckled and Alede joined them.  
  
"How did you guess?" Alede laughed. "But before we set the date, I wish to meet your father."  
  
That remark was followed by more laughter and Alede gave Gimli a kiss on the cheek before rising.  
  
"Will you introduce me to your companions?"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
By the time the others caught up with Alede she was conversing easily with Gimli's companions and charming them with her good-natured sweetness. A large trunk sat on the ground beside their shaggy ponies. It contained the mysterious gift that Gimli had teased Legolas about.  
  
King Thranduil greeted the dwarves with the courtesy that Alede had come to expect, that is to say, none at all. She was fuming after he swept an imperious gaze over Gimli and his companions and their seven ponies, looking for all the world as if they were vermin. The King did not even stop, but rode on past.  
  
When Cyrus nervously came by and urged her in a whisper that she had better get mounted so they did not stray too far behind, Alede said loudly, "Nay, do not worry, Cyrus. Gimli knows the way to Ithilien. If I should lose sight of King Thranduil, I am in good company!"  
  
Thranduil immediately turned his horse around and came back to her. Alede faced him with her shoulders thrown back and her chin lifted defiantly.  
  
"You will ride with me, Lady Alede. I promised Legolas I would deliver you safely and I intend to honor that promise."  
  
"Then I'm sure you will not mind waiting for our friends to join us, Father. The dwarves have brought gifts for your son and need to pack their ponies."  
  
She held his gaze, though it was difficult. Thranduil was angry with her for defying him in front of the dwarves and she suddenly realized she may have gone a bit too far.  
  
"Legolas needs no gifts from dwarves! Come child! Mount Faunlend or I will take you upon my own steed!"  
  
"And I will have a gift for the King of Mirkwood as well," Gimli said, hefting his axe, "if he does not learn to keep a civil tongue in his head when he addresses Legolas' betrothed!"  
  
Thranduil was off of his horse so quickly that Alede did not even see him dismount. But she was quick enough to throw herself between Gimli and the King.  
  
"Stop it both of you!" she shouted. "Your actions cause disgrace to Legolas. He loves you both and it would grieve him to see you arguing like children."  
  
Gimli was the first to back off, but Thranduil did as well, giving the dwarves a look of revulsion. Alede turned her back on him, thoroughly disgusted. She would have to work hard the next few days to keep them separated.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"How are you today, my pet?" Zarraweth asked with a sickly sweet parody of concern. "You're eating better now, are you not?"  
  
Maladok watched her from beneath heavily feathered brows. The manacles still tightly controlled the wizard, but a new consciousness was stirring within him. It was something wild and untamable, something very avian. Maladok welcomed this new identity for it gave him strength, submerging the cowardly will of the wizard beneath one of fierce courage.  
  
"Was it not a nice buck that I had the Orcs bring for you?"  
  
Maladok reached forward with a talloned claw and dragged the carcass of the deer toward him, hulking over it like a great raptor. He needed stones for his gizzard to properly digest the meat, but he would not allow her to take it from him. Not now that he had decided to live . . . and to fight.  
  
Zarraweth moved forward with a knowing smirk.  
  
"Stay still!" she commanded and Maladok felt the vibration of the holding magic shiver up his legs. But as Zarraweth darted in to torment him and steal his meat, the griffon part of his mind rebelled.  
  
With a shriek of rage, he struck at her, his hooked beak tearing a gash in her shoulder.  
  
Zarraweth screamed and stumbled away, looking up at him incredulously. Maladok spread his wings and strained against the chain that held him to the tower. His claws tore at it, but he could not get free. Day by day Zarraweth would find him harder to control as he fought against the magic that bound him. And soon, very soon he would break its hold on him.  
  
"You . . . you miserable animal!" Zarraweth shouted as she held a hand to her bleeding shoulder. "You'll pay for that!"  
  
"Asssss will you," Maladok said, his voice taking on the lisping hiss of a griffon. "Think you sssssso clever Zssssarraweth? You are a fool to think you can control a griffon, a creature of magic. You have alwayssss been a fool."  
  
"Fool am I?" Zarraweth shouted with rage. "Not so much the fool as you old man! Who was it who trapped you? Have you forgotten that?" She picked up the whip that she had used so many times to beat tears out of the griffon.  
  
"How easily you fell into my trap old man," she scorned. "Your own foolishness bought my victory here and today your tears will buy my power." She struck him with the whip to emphasis her point.  
  
Maladok hissed but did not cower. "I am an old man no more. I am griffon!" He struck out at the witch again, but she dodged out of his way.  
  
"In two weeks men come from the south to bargain with me," Zarraweth continued, circling the griffon. "They will bring gold and jewels to barter for Sauron's left over toys. They will bring me wealth and then once they have done so . . . I will crush them and their desert kingdom as well! I will crush all who appose me! But all I need is more tears from you, my pet and you will once again assure my victory."  
  
The wizard inside the griffon wanted to weep, knowing what he had caused and what he would bring about. But the new will that was taking over his mind cared not at all for the witch's games and when Zarraweth once again circled in to strike him with the whip, his beak tore at her raised arm.  
  
Zarraweth screamed and hurled a flame spell at him. But the wizard buried in the griffon was ready for that and countermanded it with a spell of his own, sending the witch hurtling against the wall.  
  
She picked herself up, shaken but furious and cast another spell, setting Maladok's feathers on fire. The griffon shrieked and threw the spell off.  
  
The tower shook under the weight of their angry magic.  
  
Down in the lower parts of Barad-Dûr the few remaining Orcs looked up. But they were too accustomed to the screams that had echoed through the towers during Sauron's rein to pay it much attention.  
  
But even lower still, in the very bowels of the dark tower an Elf stood up shakily and listened to the waves of magic that vibrated around him. In the dark, other Elves stood up, listening as well and they tried very hard to stem the faint thread of hope that cursed through their drained bodies.  
  
These Elves knew that hope never came to the dark tower.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas paused to wipe sweat from his brow as he listened to the faint sounds of magic that trembled through the forest. Some of it reminded him of Alede's magic, but he knew it was not hers. Scowling, he cocked his head trying to 'hear' it better.  
  
"Ready to quit for the day, my Lord?" Mändel asked. The steward wore a slightly reproachful look as he stood beside his prince.  
  
Legolas abandoned his attempts to hear the strange magic and turned to the older Elf. He knew that Mändel hated it when he engaged in manual labor.  
  
"Not yet," Legolas answered him. "We almost have this pod back in place." He looked up to where several of his carpenters were carefully guiding a fallen pod home back into the tree. The branches that had originally held it had broken and had now been carefully tended. The tree would heal well. The pod was now being secured in new branches. Legolas and several other Elves stood on the ground holding ropes that reached into the branches and connected to pulleys that hoisted the home aloft.  
  
"Your father would never have done this sort of work," Mändel sniffed disdainfully.  
  
"Yes," Legolas said, a grin spreading over his fair face, "I know."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede looked up as several of Thranduil's servants walked out of his pavilion carrying pitchers and finally a copper tub. She watched as they emptied the pitchers and tub on the ground and returned to the King.  
  
Sighing, she tossed a pebble into the stream.  
  
"I detest going to bed without bathing first," Alede said absently. The journey was starting to wear on her. According to Gimli they were only a day and a half ride from Legolas' kingdom and the leagues chaffed at her. She wanted to ride on! But Thranduil had insisted that they stop for the night and while she sat tossing stones impatiently into the stream, he had just finished a bath.  
  
She sighed heavily. A shadow came between her and the light spilling out of the pavilion, but with so many elves coming and going, she thought nothing of it.  
  
"Dwarves are accustomed to the hardships of travel," Gimli replied beside her. He too was gazing absently at the tiny gurgling stream. "But I look forward to reaching Ithilien. Wait until you see what inventions we have made there!"  
  
"Inventions? Indeed? What have you accomplished?" Alede asked. A sound upstream made her miss the first of Gimli's words. She noticed that the elves were once again filling their pitchers and walking back into the King's tent. She shrugged mentally. Perhaps Thranduil had missed a spot.  
  
" . . . that carry running water up into the tree tops," Gimli was explaining enthusiastically.  
  
"Running water in the tree tops?" Alede asked, turning her attention back to the Dwarf. "What ever for?"  
  
"So that they need not carry pitchers of water up into their homes!" Gimli exclaimed.  
  
That caught Alede's attention completely. "How ingenious!"  
  
"Humph! When you see how high the stairs and ladders are that lead up into the trees you will understand just how ingenious it is!"  
  
"Indeed? I cannot wait. Though I must admit that my enthusiasm is overshadowed by my desire to see Legolas. Has he changed at all in the last five years?"  
  
Gimli snorted. "He is back to his old self and twice as mischievous!"  
  
Alede chuckled. "I am glad that he is happy and the sea longing does not trouble him anymore." She paused and tossed another pebble into the stream. "Oh! I cannot wait to see him!" Absently she scratched her arm. It had been a long time since she had had a proper bath. She hoped there would be a deep enough stream for her to bathe in the following night. She did not want to show up in Ithilien after only washing from a little bowl.  
  
"King Pain in the Butt was especially nasty today," Gimli remarked, lighting his pipe. "The closer we get to Ithilien, the worse he gets. It must pain him to give away his youngest son to someone he despises."  
  
Alede shook her head. "Aye. Though there have been days when I actually thought he liked me, or at least tolerated me a bit. At least he no longer calls me 'mongrel witch' so I suppose that is an improvement of some sorts."  
  
"Mongrel witch?" Gimli laughed. "Why did he call you that?"  
  
"Because it is essentially true," Alede said with a shrug. "I am only half Istari. My maternal grandmother was Elvish, but of an obscure clan. They've all passed over to the West now, so I know nothing of her people. In fact, I know nothing of her. She left when my mother was only two years old and apparently my grandfather never spoke of her. And my grandfather . . ." Alede paused and rolled her eyes.  
  
"My grandfather was descended from the witch people of Angmar. After my grandmother left, he took my mother to be raised in Angmar. They're not exactly a reputable people. But my mother was a very skilled Green witch and used her abilities only for good. So, as you can see." Alede shrugged again, "I can understand why a king would not wish to have me as part of his family tree. If I had a prince for a son, I should not wish him to marry into such lineage."  
  
Gimli chuckled. "Then you are fortunate that Legolas is the one making the decision and not his father."  
  
Alede joined in his laughter. "Yes, though I admit, during the entire journey I have half expected Thranduil to pop a sack over my head and toss me over a cliff in the dark of the night. So, if I should suddenly disappear . . ."  
  
"I will look over the edges of all the cliffs I come to," Gimli promised with a snort of mirth.  
  
They were silent for a moment before Alede spoke again softly.  
  
"It's a shame really. I do admire him."  
  
"Who?" Gimli asked.  
  
"Thranduil," she replied. "The other Elvin realms were protected by rings of power, yet Thranduil has stood alone without such aid. And Mirkwood is a great kingdom. It has endured terrific hardship, yet despite all that it has prospered."  
  
"Humph!" Gimli snorted. "At the expense of the people of the Lonely Mountain."  
  
"Well, that is a separate matter," Alede said. She could understand the Dwarves' point of view concerning the riches of the Lonely Mountain, though she did not quite agree with them. But she would not argue the point with Gimli. He was her friend and she respected his opinion. "I more referred to the evil that has so many times invaded Mirkwood and been driven back again. His power is very great."  
  
"Are you certain that it is his power?" Gimli asked with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.  
  
Alede laughed. "Nay, it may have more to do with his stubbornness! In that alone, he proves himself Legolas' father, though they do not look alike. Never have I known an Elf as hard headed! They say that wood elves are strange and stubborn anyway, but Thranduil the worst of them all . . ."  
  
"Much like mongrel witches," a voice said behind them.  
  
Both Alede and Gimli jumped and looked around. King Thranduil stood staring down at them, his arms folded across his chest.  
  
"Oh dear," Alede breathed. It was obvious that he had been standing there for quite some time. She remembered the shadow that had fallen across her early in her conversation with Gimli. Scrambling to her feet, she faced him rather unsteadily. Looking up at the implacable expression on Thranduil's face, she shook her head in ironic amusement.  
  
"What can I say, my Liege? You have caught me out in a display of bad manners."  
  
"Yes . . . your manners could do with some work."  
  
Alede tilted her chin up. "As could yours. Eavesdropping is hardly polite."  
  
Gimli held his breath, watching the tension between the two of them.  
  
Thranduil stared at her for a moment and then turned around. "Come with me."  
  
Alede gave Gimli a sidelong glance that spoke of dread.  
  
The dwarf returned the look with a partial shrug of helplessness.  
  
"You need not look for her body at the bottom of cliffs, Master Dwarf," Thranduil called over his shoulder. "The land is much too flat here."  
  
"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Alede whispered sarcastically to Gimli before she turned and followed the King.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede walked into the pavilion behind Thranduil and looked around at the plush rugs that were scattered over the floor and the deep pillows that served as a bed.  
  
*He travels well.*  
  
But she had little time to finish that thought before the King whirled upon her. He stood staring down at her with the ancient gaze that so many found unsettling. Alede forced her chin up and returned the stare.  
  
"I have had my servants prepare a bath for you," Thranduil finally said, breaking the tension that welled up between them.  
  
Alede glanced in surprise at the partition curtained off at the back of the pavilion where he gestured.  
  
"Do you intend to drown me in it?" she asked without thinking.  
  
"Do not tempt me!" he snapped. Alede flinched but held her ground.  
  
"We will reach my son's kingdom by mid afternoon tomorrow," Thranduil said briskly.  
  
"Gimli said a day and a half . . ."  
  
"If not for the slowness of the dwarf ponies," Thranduil growled, "we would have reached it already!"  
  
Scowling at him, Alede walked toward the curtain. Of course she knew that the ponies had slowed their pace, but she would not admit it for all the world. Gimli was her friend and she was glad of his company, no matter how her heart had begged them to quicken their pace.  
  
Throwing one last glare over her shoulder, Alede entered the partitioned area and looked down at the steaming copper tub. All her anger melted out of her at the sight of so much hot water. She picked up a small cake of soap and inhaled its clean scent. On a small chair beside the bath, lay an intricately wrought nightdress. Alede ran fingers roughened by travel over the fine material and shook her head.  
  
As long as she lived, she would never understand Thranduil.  
  
But then she quickly forgot the king and eagerly tossed her stained clothing onto the floor and sank gratefully into the tub.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede tossed and turned in her bedroll.  
  
She should be asleep. The night was still and quiet with no breeze to whistle down her neck. The deep grass where they had made their camp was soft beneath her. She felt perfectly comfortable and her new nightdress felt silky against her skin, instead of chafing her as her clothing did.  
  
Beside her Gimli snored softly.  
  
*I should be asleep!*  
  
Rolling over on her side, she resolutely closed her eyes. But they soon popped open again.  
  
*Legolas is out there! Only a day's ride away!*  
  
Flopping back over, she stared up at the night sky. Millions of stars winked down at her, glittering like jewels. The moon was just starting to rise and it looked so huge and so near that Alede felt she could reach out and grab it.  
  
So near.  
  
Just like Legolas.  
  
Sitting up quietly, Alede looked around the camp. An idea had formed in her head while she had been bathing and she had not been able to get rid of it. But now, she no longer wanted to.  
  
Looking through the darkness, she saw Faunlend. The cloud-gray horse had been drowsing beside Thranduil's stallion when Alede had said goodnight to her. But now Faunlend was standing stock still, her head up and her ears pricked forward. She was watching Alede intently and the wizardess knew that the Elvin horse was aware of her thoughts.  
  
Faunlend bobbed her head and stomped with one hoof.  
  
That was all the encouragement Alede needed. Flinging back the bedroll, Alede rose stealthily and slipped on the tiny pair of leather slippers that had accompanied her nightdress. Clothing was not important tonight. The night was warm and her bags were much too close to where her father slept.  
  
Creeping silently to Gimli's bedroll, she carefully placed his axe out of reach and put a hand over his mouth. The dwarf started awake immediately, but stopped himself from lashing out in time.  
  
Alede placed a finger over her lips and gestured for the dwarf to follow her to the horses.  
  
Once Faunlend's body shielded them from view, Alede whispered, "I cannot sleep."  
  
"You woke me up to inform me that you cannot sleep?" Gimli asked incredulously.  
  
"Hush," Alede admonished, glancing worriedly toward the camp. "Of course I did not wake you to tell you that. But I cannot lie here all night when Legolas is so near. Will you lead me to him? Are you too tired?"  
  
"Too tired!?"  
  
"Hush!"  
  
"A dwarf is never too tired," Gimli growled.  
  
"I am sorry. I meant no offence. But will you take me to him tonight? Faunlend will gladly carry us both."  
  
"Do you mean, leave King Pain in the Butt behind?" Gimli asked, a mischievous smile showing his teeth in the dark.  
  
"Yes. Will your people be willing to continue to Ithilien without you?"  
  
"Of course! They do not care about Thranduil's insults. They know they are welcome in Legolas' kingdom."  
  
"Good! Then let us go!"  
  
"Uhm . . ." Gimli hesitated. "Should you not assume more appropriate clothing?"  
  
Alede shook her head, grinning with mischief. "I dare not risk it. If my father awoke, he would not allow me to go. But he will bring my things tomorrow, even though he'll be angry with me."  
  
Gimli nodded. "Very well, then. What are we waiting for?"  
  
They led Faunlend out of the camp at a walk, going as quietly as they could and because they did not look back, they failed to see King Thranduil walk out of his pavilion and watch them leave.  
  
He stood stroking his stallion's mane long after Gimli and Alede had mounted and galloped toward the south. The three quarter moon cast a silvery glow on his handsome face and if anyone had seen him, they would have thought that he wore an amused smile.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas sat straight up in bed. She was coming!  
  
*Alede! You foolish . . .*  
  
But he was swinging his feet to the floor and pulling on clothing so quickly he hardly knew what he wore. He tugged his boots on as he raced down the hallway, two activities which did not go well together. Once he reached his study, he had to sit down and start all over again. His hair was caught under his tunic and he yanked it out impatiently as he bounded down the outer steps two at a time.  
  
He whistled to Aransûl as he ran swiftly through the trees to the stables. The horse pushed his own door open and Legolas was up on his back instantly, urging the great stallion into a ground-eating gallop.  
  
Horse and rider burst out of the forest and out onto the plains of Gondor. The grass undulated around them like waves, the great Elvin horse a ship upon that sea.  
  
Many times clouds scudded across the moon, turning the plains to shadows. Then the bright orb would sail out again touching everything with its silver light.  
  
Hours passed and still Aransûl galloped on, the call ahead of them as urgent to him as to Legolas.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede's back ached as she bent over Faunlend's mane, but she did not urge the horse to slow. Faunlend seemed as anxious as she and her strides were still elastic and strong. The moon disappeared many times behind clouds, yet the Elvin horse never once faltered and Alede trusted to her better eyesight in the dark.  
  
When the moon burst out from behind another small bank of clouds, Alede's heart leapt at the sight before her.  
  
A great white horse surged toward them, cutting through the deep grass like a ship through water. Gimli's grunt behind her only confirmed what her heart already knew.  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
Faunlend gave a tremulous whinny and it was answered with a thunderous neigh from her mate. Aransûl reared up and a bright figure dropped easily off of him.  
  
"Legolas!"  
  
Alede threw her leg over Faunlend's neck and hit the ground running.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas thought his heart would choke him when he saw the silvery forms in front of him. He even thought that it might still be the product of his fitful dreams.  
  
But it was no mist of the mind that rode toward him and as soon as he heard Faunlend's timid call and Aransûl's answering trumpet, he knew she was real.  
  
They met in the sea of grass, the moon shining on their faces. There were tears on Alede's cheeks and as he swept her up in his arms, Legolas felt matching tears on his own face.  
  
He set her on her feet and then her arms were around his neck, warm and real and solid. And she was kissing his face and he could barely speak for the emotions that roared up inside of him.  
  
Without even knowing it, they both sank to their knees. Legolas pressed his lips to her mouth, tasting the salt of her tears and kissed her until they were both breathless.  
  
In the west, the moon hung on the horizon until it faced the rising sun. Both shone their light upon the two travelers who still knelt in each other's embrace, turning the meadow around them to green waves.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*** I remember a meadow one morning in May, With a sky full of dreams that sailed in that day. I was dancing through green waves of grass like the sea, For a moment in time I could feel I was free.  
  
Take me home to the meadow that cradles my heart, Where the waves reach as far as you can see, Take me home to the meadow - we've been too long apart, I can still hear you calling for me. ~ "Greenwaves" by Secret Garden ***  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Anyone wonder what Gimli is doing and thinking at this moment? :D  
  
Special thanks to Thecla for introducing me to Secret Garden's "Once in a Red Moon" album. It's proved to be inspirational for both of us. Also, special thanks to her for suggesting the nickname of "Aly" for Alede.  
  
I normally don't play favorites with authors, because there are soooooo many of you who are brilliant writers. I could never name all my favorites. But I'd like to recommend a fic that I got a sneak preview of. "The Tale of Willow's Creak" is an enthralling fantasy full of intrigue and danger. I was hooked after reading one sentence. It is written by the Dulled Opal and is posted at ff.net's sister site Fiction Press. I highly recommend it. :D  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security. 


	5. Coming Home

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 5 ~ "Coming Home"  
  
"If you two keep that up, your faces will stick together."  
  
Legolas broke the kiss with a laugh. "Gimli, you nuisance! Come here!"  
  
Legolas made a grab for his dwarvin friend. Gimli backed away clumsily, but not quickly enough. Legolas caught his arm and kissed the dwarf soundly on both cheeks in an old fashioned elvish greeting.  
  
"Bleehh!" Gimli said, batting him away.  
  
Alede laughed and Legolas caught her up and lifted her off of her feet, spinning her around in the new morning light.  
  
"By the Valar! You are real!" Legolas lowered her and she slid slowly down the length of his body, giving them both shivers that were more than just excitement. Wrapping his arms around her, Legolas held her close and kissed her once more. "For five years you have been but a whisper in my mind and now you are here and you are warm and solid and I will never let us be separated again."  
  
Alede blinked back tears. "For five years I have dreamed of this moment. I feel as if my heart is going to burst!"  
  
"Come, Melui! Let us go home."  
  
"I am already home," Alede said. "Wherever you are is home."  
  
Gimli groaned loudly and rolled his eyes.  
  
But Legolas only laughed and before the dwarf could protest, grabbed him and lifted him onto Aransûl's back.  
  
"Uhg! Tis like lifting an Olyphant," Legolas complained.  
  
"If you would keep your hands to yourself," Gimli shouted indignantly, "my weight would not trouble you!"  
  
Alede chuckled contentedly as she mounted Faunlend and fell in beside the white stallion. Gimli and Legolas continued to insult each other as they rode and Alede listened to their banter happily.  
  
She had indeed come home.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Come, Master Wizard," Thranduil cried, nudging Radagast's bedroll with his toe. "It is time we completed this journey."  
  
The old man muttered indistinctly and sat up, his hair in wild disarray. His first look was over at his daughter's bedroll, but it was empty, as was the dwarf's. Realizing that it must be later that he thought, Radagast flung back his blanket and got stiffly to his feet.  
  
"Where is Alede?" he asked, looking around. Elves had already pulled down Thranduil's pavilion and were stowing the tightly folded bundles upon the packhorses. Gimli's dwarvin companions were packing the heavy trunk and their supplies onto the backs of the ponies.  
  
"She has gone on ahead," Thranduil said over his shoulder as he brushed grass from his stallion's back. The huge gray had a habit of rolling each morning, something that would have looked ridiculous in a less impressive horse.  
  
"Then we must hurry to catch up with her," Radagast said with some alarm. He'd never gotten used to Alede traveling on her own, though she'd been doing it for almost 400 years.  
  
"We will never catch them," Thranduil replied, swinging himself up on the stallion. "She and the dwarf left shortly after we all retired for bed last night."  
  
"She did?" Radagast said stupidly. "Why did you not stop her?" he asked.  
  
Thranduil turned on his mount, looking at the wizard over his shoulder. "Stop her? Why? Had I been in her position, I would have done the same thing." And with a single word, he sent the stallion into a gallop, leaving Radagast staring after him with an open mouth.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
As Legolas, Gimli and Alede traveled deeper into Ithilien, Legolas couldn't help pointing out various sights on the way, even though he was interrupting Alede's steady stream of questions.  
  
"There," Legolas cried, pointing to a bristling pine, "That is where Gimli first learned to climb a tree!"  
  
"I did not know you could climb trees," Alede said, looking at the dwarf who sat scowling at Legolas' back.  
  
"Neither did the wild boar that chased him up it," Legolas said with a shout of laughter. "It had quite a puzzled expression on its face."  
  
"If your aim had not been off," Gimli growled, "it would have been dead, instead of enraged by an elvish arrow sticking out of its shoulder!"  
  
"Nay, twas not my aim. You joggled my elbow . . ."  
  
"I most certainly did not!" Gimli said, puffing up to twice his size.  
  
"I have not missed a target in hundreds of years, Master Dwarf!"  
  
"Ha!"  
  
The argument continued for quite some time, long after they had passed the controversial tree. Alede patiently waited for them to settle down. She could not help but be amused by their antics. Simply to hear Legolas' voice again, his real voice, not his mind speaking to hers, was shear bliss to her, even if it was only rude insults to the dwarf.  
  
"Legolas, will you please continue," Alede prompted once the bickering had died down a bit. "You were telling me about the storm that hit your city."  
  
"There is little else to tell, Melui, other than what I communicated with you the following day."  
  
Alede noticed that Legolas did not seem too shy about talking of their 'connection' in front of Gimli, even though sharing song was considered an intimate act by Elves. She took it as a good sign. She liked the Dwarf and had known for a long time that in marrying Legolas, she would be accepting Gimli into their family as well.  
  
"Then you are still convinced that the magic came from Mordor?"  
  
Legolas nodded. He had relayed the details of the battle to her earlier. "The vortex of wind looked the same and I find it impossible to believe that two such phenomena could not be related. No natural hurricane would travel this far inland."  
  
"I wish I knew what it was," Alede frowned. "But this is something I've never encountered before and my father does not hear it."  
  
"Did you hear a strange keening sound as well?" Legolas asked. Though Alede had no answers for him, he found it very reassuring to talk with her about it. He was convinced that between the three of them, there was no problem they could not solve.  
  
"I heard what sounded like someone crying," Alede answered. "As if the wind carried the sound of sobbing."  
  
"Yes, I heard that too," Legolas said quickly. "And this last time, there was a keening noise as well. I am certain that my father told me some tale about an animal that keens, but I cannot remember what it was or how it could relate to this. Did he have no theories?"  
  
"None that he mentioned to me," Alede said cautiously.  
  
Legolas glanced at her, hearing what she did not speak. "You are very brave Alede. I think my father would frighten away most maidens."  
  
Alede chuckled. "He has certainly tried. But I think I am making progress. There are times when I almost think he can tolerate me."  
  
Legolas laughed. "No doubt his 'tolerance' has something to do with why you chose to ride to me in the middle of the night in your nightdress," Legolas said with a mischievous tilt of his eyebrows.  
  
"Well," Alede hesitated. "I did not wish to wake anyone and I did not make up my mind until we were all in our bedrolls."  
  
"And sleeping soundly," Gimli added with a mock glare at her that ended in a wink when she looked contrite.  
  
"Given a chance, I think Father will come to appreciate you," Legolas predicted. "He cannot resist an intelligent mind."  
  
"Ha! When I am with him, I feel as dense as a piece of wood," Alede declared.  
  
"Humph!" Gimli snorted. "If you had allowed me to teach him some manners . . ."  
  
"Gimli?" Alede interrupted hastily. She wasn't sure how Legolas would react to news of the altercation with Thranduil. "How long do you think it will take your people to reach us? I am very eager to give Legolas his gifts."  
  
"Ah yes," Legolas said, accepting the change of subject for the moment, "the thing that is shorter than my bow, yet has a longer reach."  
  
"Longer reach . . ?" Alede glanced at Gimli inquisitively. The dwarf gave her a smug wink in return. "That is good, Gimli. I had no idea you were so adept at riddles."  
  
"Inspiration does occasionally strike me," Gimli said with mock humility.  
  
"I will strike you if you do not cease teasing me about it," Legolas growled.  
  
That prompted another round of bickering and Alede never did learn how soon Gimli thought his dwarves would catch up to them.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Welcome to Eryn Culhallas, Lady Alede," Legolas said, unable to hide the pride and excitement in his voice.  
  
Alede's reaction was everything he could have hoped for. She sat upon her horse, open mouthed, gazing with astonishment and pleasure up into the canopy of trees. The heavily leafed oaks were shorter, only seventy-five feet or so and hid the Culhalla with their greenery. But every now and then, the canopy would part and the fiery red gold leaves of the Culhallas would appear, practically touching the sky with their crowns.  
  
"It is breathtaking," Alede whispered. Then her gaze shifted and she moved Faunlend ahead a little, craning her neck to see better. "Legolas," she turned back to him, "are those your dwellings that I see?"  
  
She nodded toward one of the outlying pod homes.  
  
Legolas nodded. "They are larger than they appear . . ."  
  
"I do not doubt it," Alede said, still gazing up as they moved forward. "I remember your fondness for architecture and Elves are exceedingly clever carpenters."  
  
Behind Legolas, Gimli groaned. This mutual admiration society that they had going on was going to make him ill. Or at least it would if he was not secretly so pleased for Legolas.  
  
They began to see people now and Alede pulled uncomfortably at her nightdress. Legolas chuckled.  
  
"Do not be uneasy, Melui. My people will say nothing and I have garments ready for you in your home."  
  
She flashed a smile at him. "My thanks, though I am not so worried about what they might say, but more what they might think."  
  
"They will think that you are a woman of impulsiveness until they get to know you," Legolas teased. "And then they will realize that you are a font of practicality."  
  
She gave him another grin, but once more her gaze was drawn back up to the trees. "Is your entire city in the trees?" she asked in amazement.  
  
"Aye. I must admit that I borrowed heavily from what we saw in Lothlorien, though our dwellings are shaped differently. But yes, the city is in the trees."  
  
"Though it is not nearly as fair as the city of the white lady," Gimli said, "for Lothlorien had a quality unlike anything else on Middle Earth."  
  
"Then you are fortunate to have seen it, Master Dwarf," Alede replied. "In all my years, I never did penetrate the golden wood."  
  
They continued into the heart of Eryn Culhallas and stopped before a large building made of polished wood. It gleamed on the shadowed forest floor and climbed high up into the oaks. Alede could see balconies and chimneys rising all around it.  
  
"This is the Great Hall," Legolas said, dismounting. "I built it upon the ground so that Faramir and Aragorn might feel more at ease and our large gatherings are held inside. We will leave our horses here," he said, even as the master of the horses came forward and bowed to his prince.  
  
Alede thanked the Elf and introduced him to Faunlend, as was proper in Elvin households. The Elf's eyes swept momentarily over Alede's inappropriate garments, but he said nothing and turned away with Faunlend following wearily behind him.  
  
"Come," Legolas said, taking her hand. "Let me show you your home and we will find you something to eat and some new clothing."  
  
"I am too excited to eat," Alede said, giving his hand a happy squeeze, "but I will welcome a wash and some clothes."  
  
"Humph!" Gimli snorted, "I will welcome some food."  
  
"I will have it sent to you, Gimli," Legolas said, "If you think you will stay awake long enough to eat it, that is."  
  
Gimli gave the Elf a withering glance and stomped away from them toward a Culhalla trunk larger than any of the others. At its foot was a tiny, squat house, made entirely of stone with a brightly painted door and a thatched roof. Gimli pushed the door open and disappeared inside.  
  
Legolas shook his head, "Forgive him, Alede. He is fatigued and . . ."  
  
"And dwarves become irritable when they are tired," she finished, smiling up at him. "You need not apologize for your friend, Legolas. I am well acquainted with the ways of dwarves and I love him too."  
  
"Do you?" Legolas asked with a mischievous smile. "Should I be jealous?"  
  
Alede nodded seriously, "Yes. He even purposed to me when we first met upon the road."  
  
Legolas threw back his head and laughed. "I see that I have competition. I must speak with him when he has had some sleep then!"  
  
Alede joined his laughter, though it faded when they drew close to the foot of the enormous Culhalla.  
  
"By the Valar, Legolas! It is huge!"  
  
Even Gimli's house, now that she was seeing it up close was far larger than she had thought. Obviously it would comfortably house several dwarves. But it looked a mere speck when compared to the smooth trunk behind it.  
  
The Culhalla rose over a hundred feet into the air, stretching for the heavens, its gray bark smooth and straight. Around its girth a staircase spiraled up it, the rails draped with flowering vines as if the great tree wore a decorative garland.  
  
Alede placed her hand upon one of the rails, as Legolas turned and directed servants to see about bringing food to Gimli. She noticed that the rail was wrapped beneath the vines in a woven plant fiber. Picking at it curiously, she found something smooth underneath and made of copper . . .  
  
"Ouch!" Alede yelped. Legolas turned to her immediately. "It is hot! It burned me," she said in surprise.  
  
"Ah . . ." Legolas' eyes followed her gaze as he gently took her hand. "I see that you have found Gimli's invention."  
  
"Invention?"  
  
"Hmm . . . this does not appear too badly burned. Does it pain you?" Legolas asked, inspecting her hand. "I will have my healer bring you herbs . . ."  
  
"Nay," Alede said. "It is fine. I was more surprised than anything. Tell me about this invention."  
  
"I will do better," Legolas said with a grin of excitement, pulling her with him. "I will show you."  
  
Alede was winded by the time they were only half way up the tree. Fortunately, Legolas stopped, pointing out the view, which was well worth seeing.  
  
"See over there?" he pointed. "This area is dotted with natural hot springs and thermal caves. Gimli and his people made copper piping that carries the steam. We've concealed it beneath the wrapping to keep it warm . . ."  
  
There followed a bewildering explanation of how the steam and the hot water from the springs rose up the spiral staircases and entered the dwellings. Alede was able to only follow about half of it, but it sounded terribly clever.  
  
"So. . ." she said cautiously, "if I'm following you correctly, you're saying that steam heats the insides of the homes and provides hot running water as well."  
  
"Yes, in pipes behind the walls. There are gutters and small cisterns on the roofs which supply cold water. We have no lack of rain here," Legolas said enthusiastically. "Come!"  
  
He took Alede's hand again and she laughed as she tried to keep up with him. Legolas would have bounded up the steps if not for her.  
  
"Oh . . ." Alede breathed a startled gasp when they reached the wide landing in front of Legolas' home.  
  
The dwelling was impossible to describe. It was much larger than it appeared from below and gently curved. It was made of the silvery gray wood of the Culhalla and intricately carved. The steeply pitched rooftop was adorned with scrolls and filigree and vines carved from wood wove their delicate tendrils about the lovely arched door.  
  
Legolas paused, letting Alede take her time in examining every detail.  
  
"Its beautiful," she said finally, giving Legolas a bemused smile. In truth, she thought that beautiful hardly described it. That she would actually be living here with Legolas . . . a thrill of excitement ran through her belly, like a flight of butterflies suddenly taking wing.  
  
With a small smile, Legolas pushed the door open and gestured for her to go inside.  
  
Again, Alede took her time. The front room, known in Elvin households as the 'visiting room' was large and spacious. There were enough divans and plump chairs for several people and Alede suspected that Legolas often used the room for meetings with his counselors. Small panels near the floor could be opened to expose the copper piping from which steady warmth emanated.  
  
The visiting room led into a study with a large desk at its center. Alede recognized the desk. She had seen it in Thranduil's study years ago.  
  
"Is this . . ."  
  
Legolas grinned. "Yes. Father gave it to me. When I was a child, I used to empty the drawers and pigeonholes onto the floor and create a grand mess. Mother would find me and scold me while trying very hard not laugh. Then she and I would put it all back together. Father would make a big commotion about how his desk kept getting rearranged. He claimed that gremlins were to blame though of course he knew it was me."  
  
Alede chuckled, seeing yet another facet to the King's complex personality.  
  
"How ever did you get it up all those steps?" she asked.  
  
"With ropes, pulleys, prayers and many an impolite comment."  
  
Alede laughed and moved around the room. There were several bookcases and just as many windows. The room was bathed in the mid day light and they were high enough in the canopy that rays of sunlight danced in the southern windows. There were paintings and sketches on the walls as well and Alede went to one of them to examine it.  
  
"I did not know you were so skilled," she said in amazement, looking at a blueprint of the Great Hall.  
  
"I have seen much architecture in my travels," Legolas said, laying a gentle, companionable hand on the small of her back. "It has given me much pleasure to build my own designs. Though none," he said, giving her a look that seemed to make her knees go week, "has given me as much pleasure as what I am about to show you."  
  
Alede raised an inquisitive brow, but Legolas only took her hand again, pulling her down a long hallway that curved around the tree trunk. They passed a room that was obviously Legolas' bedchamber. Alede got only a glimpse of a tall curtained bed and dark polished furniture, before Legolas led her out onto a slat bridge. It crossed to another dwelling, similar to his, though not quit as large.  
  
The bridge gave Alede the jitters at first, especially since the wind chose to kick up at that moment, sending both homes to swaying. But Legolas walked across it with total unconcern and so she followed him.  
  
The landing had another long staircase spiraling down from it, but instead of vines carved about the doorway, there were roses instead. Alede ran an appreciative finger over them, before she noticed that Legolas had stepped back rather nervously and gestured for her to open the door.  
  
"Is this mine?" she asked breathlessly and Legolas nodded solemnly.  
  
The visiting room was smaller than Legolas', but more cozy and intimate because of it. The walls had been white washed and the room glowed with light. Comfortable looking chairs stood next to a divan piled with soft pillows, flowers in pots stood in the window embrasures. Another door opposite led into a library, lined with bookshelves. Some of the shelves were already filled and Alede walked to them eagerly and opened them.  
  
The books were carefully copied versions of medical texts from Mirkwood. Turning around again, with a book still clutched to her breast, she watched as Legolas opened a large chest standing against the wall.  
  
The doors opened to reveal shelves with colored bottles neatly sitting upon them. Alede set the book down and picked up a small bottle made of brown glass. It was empty but had a good waxed lid on it.  
  
"For your medicines," Legolas said rather shyly. "I know that some of them do not react well to light, hence the colored glass. I hope I made them the right size . . ."  
  
"You made them?" Alede asked.  
  
Legolas nodded. "I even have the burned fingers to prove it. Glass blowing is a fine skill which I am only beginning to master. I also carved the chest. I wanted to give you something I had made with my own hands . . ."  
  
He never finished the sentence. With a cry of joy, Alede flung her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. Legolas was never sure later how he managed it, but somehow they found themselves on the divan in the other room, with Alede on his lap, his fingers in her hair and his mouth on hers.  
  
Everything else was forgotten and it was a long time before they broke apart.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas bounded down the steps two at a time. If the rail had not been covered with vines, he would have slid down it as he had when he was a child in his Father's hall. As it was, he settled for landing with a soft thump beside Mändel, startling the steward slightly.  
  
"Your Highness," Mändel said with a disapproving sniff. He hated it when Legolas did not act with solemn dignity.  
  
Legolas suppressed a smile. Mändel's attitude amused him and the temptation to plague the serious Elf was a constant battle for him. But Mändel was an excellent steward and loyal to a fault.  
  
"Did the honor guard set out this morning, as I instructed?" Legolas asked, though he asked the question more out of a desire to make conversation that for the need to know. Of course the guard had gone out as ordered.  
  
"Yes, my lord. They should be meeting up with your Father's party even as we speak. I must admit, however, that I expected your lady to be traveling with them. Had I known she would come ahead, I would have sent out . . ."  
  
Legolas chuckled, interrupting him. "I do not think that anyone knew Lady Alede would come ahead of the party, not even she, until the last minute. Ah . . ." he said looking up, "here she is now."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede stepped out onto the landing in front of Legolas' home and looked down. She could easily spot his fair hair in the shadowy darkness at the bottom of the stair.  
  
After they had given each other a long and proper greeting on the divan, Legolas had led her to her bedchamber.  
  
"I will leave you here," he had said, "for I do not trust myself to enter. If I do, you will not be rid of me anytime soon."  
  
"I have no desire to be rid of you," Alede had answered, a blush of both desire and embarrassment creeping up her face. They had stood for several moments breathlessly remembering their kisses and caresses.  
  
Legolas had finally broken the tension by throwing up his hands and saying, "Ai! You will be the death of me, woman!" He had left her with a teasing grin and Alede had turned to explore her new room.  
  
The bedchamber was an airy room, the midday sun streamed in through the gauzy curtains upon the windows. Glass doors led out to a balcony and there were two large wardrobes opposite the canopied bed.  
  
As eager as Alede was to explore her new home, she was more eager to be with Legolas. Walked into the bathing chamber, she had shed her dusty nightdress. Alede had experimented with the small spigots above the basin and discovered to her delight that one produced hot water and another cold. She had given herself a quick wash with a cloth and then gone out to look in the wardrobes.  
  
One was filled with fine silken gowns of the most exquisite workmanship. The other contained more practical clothing, even including breeches and tunics.  
  
As Alede stood now, upon the landing, she smoothed the forest green kirtle she had finally chosen. It was made of a good sturdy linen and the skirt was wide enough that she would have no trouble walking or riding in it. A pale green under dress complimented it and she wore a pair of doeskin boots beneath. These were practical clothes appropriate for the tour that Legolas had promised her, yet attractive enough that she would not shame him while meeting his people.  
  
She saw him and another Elf looking up at her and could not help the smile that brightened her face as she hurried down the steps. But she also remembered the words that Thranduil had drilled into her head while on the journey here. She might have resented it at the time since there was nothing wrong with her manners, yet it would not hurt to be overly formal with Legolas' people.  
  
When she reached the bottom of the steps, slightly breathless, though not as breathless as she had been when she'd climbed them, she gave Legolas a slight nod of her head.  
  
"My lord," she said by way of greeting.  
  
Legolas smiled at her, his eyes twinkling mischievously, before introducing her to his steward.  
  
Alede gave Mändel a deep curtsy and the formal Elvin greeting.  
  
"Welcome to Eryn Culhallas, Lady Alede," the steward replied with a bow.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas watched as Alede conversed with his steward. He was mildly surprised to see how nervous she was, though she was fighting to not show it. It hadn't occurred to him that she would be nervous about meeting his people. But obviously she was. That and her formal greeting a moment ago made him wonder if this was his father's doing. It would be just like Thranduil to criticize her so much that she began to doubt herself.  
  
Once they had left Mändel, Legolas slipped her hand through his arm.  
  
"Alede . . . my people will love you for the same reasons that I do. You need not fear meeting them."  
  
"I . . ." she looked up, embarrassment showing in her face. "I only wish to make a good first impression on them."  
  
"You will. But I also wish for them to know the real you," he said, lifting her chin with a gentle finger when she would have looked away. "You are woman of warmth and compassion, the most admirable of all qualities. You need not try to hide it behind stiff formality."  
  
"It is just that . . ." Alede paused, obviously searching for the correct words. "I have never really considered your status before. I mean, of course I knew that you were royalty, but for whatever reason it has never really meant that much to me. I . . ." she sighed in frustration. "I am saying this badly."  
  
"Nay," Legolas replied with a squeeze of her hand. "I am well aware that my status has never been important to you. It is one of the many things that I love about you."  
  
She looked up at him surprised and he continued.  
  
"Alede, even among Elves there is much political maneuvering. I dare to say that it is more subtle and less vicious than the political maneuvering of men, but still it exists. I cannot tell you the number of times I have been examined by various women as if I were no more than horse flesh which they considered bartering for."  
  
Alede's eyes opened wide. "Really?"  
  
He nodded as he led her to the stables and then Alede giggled.  
  
"And yet what a handsome bit of horse flesh you are," she said with a mischievous laugh. "Who are these women? Perhaps I should see what they would be willing to bargain for you."  
  
"The only bargaining you will be doing is over my knee if you do not behave," Legolas said, giving her a swat on the bottom.  
  
Alede gave a squeak of surprise and tried to pull away from him. They tussled for a moment until Legolas ended it by pulling her in for an affectionate hug.  
  
"Do you know how much joy you bring me, Alede?" he said, his lips pressed against her hair.  
  
"Perhaps as much as you bring me," she answered with a smile.  
  
He nodded and kissed her lightly, since there were people near by and then led her into the stable where he received a surprise.  
  
"Hmm . . . I intended to ask Aransûl to take us on our tour, but he seems rather occupied." They both looked up at the white stallion who had left his own stall and was standing in Faunlend's, shielding the mare from their view rather protectively. He also laid back his ears for just a moment, very uncharacteristic behavior in an elvish horse.  
  
"Oh, so that is the way of it," Legolas said with a laugh, approaching Aransûl despite the ears. The stallion flicked his ears again and stomped, but could not resist the outstretched hand of his elf for more than a moment. Suddenly looking rather sheepish, he ambled over to Legolas and let him stroke his muzzle.  
  
Faunlend poked her head over Aransûl's back and pricked her ears at Alede, the look of smug satisfaction quite evident on her equine face.  
  
"I see that you two have become reacquainted," Legolas said.  
  
"Yes, they became rather well acquainted while they were in Rivendell," Alede said disgustedly. "While you and I were at the mercy of the Faerie Queen, these two were frolicking in the meadows."  
  
"Indeed?" Legolas asked with a laugh.  
  
Alede nodded. "A couple of months after you left, I realized that Faunlend was with foal. A very nice colt they produced."  
  
"You said nothing of it in your letters," Legolas said.  
  
Alede grinned up at him mischievously. "Elrohir told me that he's wanted a horse from the house of Oropher for years. I gave the colt to him. He intends to put him to stud to increase the bloodlines of their horses."  
  
"Ha! Just as I always suspected!" Legolas crowed. "The horses of the house of Elrond have always been inferior."  
  
Alede chuckled. "Elrohir says that the next time you and he meet, the outcome of your habitual race will be different."  
  
"He is still sore that I have beaten him every time," Legolas chuckled.  
  
"I hope you don't mind," Alede said, turning serious again. "But I felt that I should give Elrohir and Elladan something in return for their hospitality."  
  
"They are indeed generous hosts, but then you and your father labored long and hard in Rivendell. The debt goes both ways."  
  
She shook her head, "Nay, they owe us nothing for our magic. It is the purpose of the Maiar to serve the people of Middle Earth. It is why my father and the other were sent here. But I meant for their hospitality all of these years. Elladan and Elrohir practically raised me, you know. At least when I was not studying with Elrond, they did."  
  
Legolas nodded sagely. "I have been intending to speak with them about that. No doubt the few character flaws which you possess are their fault."  
  
"Character flaws?" Alede asked haughtily, suppressing a grin. "And what character flaws might these be, my Lord?"  
  
"This alarming propensity you've developed for riding across Gondor in your nightdress . . ."  
  
Legolas ducked as Alede playfully attempted to box his ears. Behind them, Aransûl went back to nuzzling Faunlend's neck, knowing that it would be some time before he was required to carry them anywhere.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The tour was everything that both of them could have wished for. Alede was sensitive to the tragedy that had befallen the grape crop and eager to offer ideas and ask questions. She marveled at the vast lavender fields that pastured Eryn Culhallas' bees and produced their honey. She laughed over the antics of the goats that produced the milk for cheese and cream.  
  
All the while she kept her arms wrapped about Legolas' slender waist, pressing close to him, yet not clinging and Legolas wondered why he had not seen how much he loved her years and years ago. She was exactly what he wanted in a companion, exactly what he needed. Resting a warm hand over hers, they rode on.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They returned to the city in the late afternoon. Alede was yawning and ready for a nap. Legolas was eager to be there when his father arrived.  
  
"Do you need anything?" Legolas asked as he saw her into her rooms.  
  
Alede smothered another yawn. "Will you have someone wake me in a little while?"  
  
"Of course," he said, touching her cheek softly. "Rest well."  
  
Alede turned around after he'd closed the door and hugged herself as she looked around her new home. She still couldn't believe it!  
  
Wandering into her bedchamber, Alede was about to lie down on the bed, but movement on the balcony caught her eye. Stepping out the door, she found an enormous basket hanging just off of the balcony. It was nearly the same size as her bed. Going to the rail for a better look, Alede saw that the rail itself had a gate in it and a small platform led to the basket. Intrigued, she opened it and stepped out, catching hold of one of the ropes that held the basket.  
  
"It is a bed," she whispered in amazement. True enough, the basket contained a thick mattress covered by a heavy oilcloth wrapper to protect it from the elements. Gingerly, Alede stepped into the basket, setting it to swinging. She dropped to her knees, the motion feeling just a little alarming. But as she peeked over the sides, down at the ground nearly a hundred feet below, she found that she actually felt rather snug. The walls of the basket were high enough to make it cozy and secure.  
  
Pulling back the oilcloth, Alede found warm soft blankets beneath. Snuggling under them, she had just enough time to roll over and admire the brilliant blue sky twinkling through the leaves of the Culhalla, before her eyelids drooped and she was asleep.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas stood at the end of a beribboned pathway, wearing his finest clothes and with his entire court assembled around him. Grooms rushed forward to take weary horses from the new arrivals.  
  
"Welcome to Eryn Culhallas, Father." He stepped forward into Thranduil's embrace and the King hugged him so fiercely, Legolas felt as if his ribs were creaking.  
  
"Thank you, my son." Thranduil held him for a moment longer than necessary and when they stepped back from each other, the King gave him piercing look. "You are well, I trust?"  
  
"I am well, Father," Legolas answered, recognizing his father's worry. "But let us not talk of unpleasantness until later. All is well and for now I merely wish to enjoy your company. It has been too long, Father."  
  
"Aye, Son, that it has. At least I had an interesting traveling companion for much of the journey. I trust your bride made it safely here?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "I suppose it is too much to hope that the dwarf fell off somewhere during her midnight journey?"  
  
Legolas returned his father's look. "I am pleased to say that both Alede and Gimli arrived this morning in excellent health."  
  
Deliberately turning away from his father, Legolas greeted Radagast affectionately. "I have been most eager to see you again, Lord Radagast."  
  
The old wizard hugged him enthusiastically. "As I have you, Legolas. I am looking forward to knowing you and your people better."  
  
"And Alede has spoken of no one else for five years," Cyrus added drolly, stepping forward to give Legolas a stiff bow. "I look forward to foisting her off on you, so that we all might get some peace."  
  
Legolas chuckled and welcomed the irritable old wizard before turning back to Radagast. "Alede is resting at the moment otherwise she would be here to greet you." Raising his voice, he addressed the entire party. "Tonight we will feast in honor of your coming," Legolas told them, "and celebrate my betrothal to Lady Alede. I invite you to relax until this evening and enjoy all the hospitality that my kingdom can give you."  
  
Servants escorted Radagast and Cyrus to their guest quarters in the Great Hall, while Legolas exchanged a few words with Gimli's companions before they stumped off to the small stone house.  
  
"Do you wish to see your rooms, Father?" Legolas asked, turning back to Thranduil.  
  
"Nay," said the King, looking about with a shrewd eye. "I wish to see what my youngest son has been doing all these years in his southern realm.  
  
Legolas grinned, knowing that there was a challenge ahead of him and called for fresh horses to be brought to them.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"My Lady?" a soft voice called.  
  
Alede swam up out of the soft cloud of sleep and blinked at the figure holding a flickering candle. For a moment she could not remember where she was. Then sweet memory filled her and she sat up in her cozy nest.  
  
"My Lady," the she-Elf called, "His Highness sent me to wake you. The celebration begins in an hour."  
  
"An hour!?" Alede squeaked in alarm. "I cannot possibly be ready in an hour!" She leaped from the basket so energetically it set the whole structure to rocking and banging against the rail.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Well, was this too much mush and domestic bliss for anyone? Nobody became nauseous I hope. Lol :D Coming up in chapter 6 we'll see if Alede makes it to the celebration on time. Thranduil will have a few choice words and don't forget about the witch in Mordor. Legolas lovers get ready; we'll finally get to see him in all his royal splendor, coming up in "The King of Culhallas Wood."  
  
Special thanks to Irena who has caught some of my ridiculous spelling mistakes. I am so sorry! It's hard to believe that I have a college education, isn't it? lol! You now have a tiny glimmer of what I put Thecla through! :D  
  
Much of the inspiration for the houses in Eryn Culhallas came from James Gurney's "Dinotopia" (the books, not the movie). If you have access to the books, take a look at Treetown (pg. 100 to 101) in "Dinotopia" and Bonabba (pg. 118 to 119) in "The World Beneath" and you'll get an idea of what Eryn Culhallas looks like.  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security. 


	6. The King of Culhallas Wood

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 6 ~ "The King of Culhallas Wood"  
  
"I am impressed, Son," Thranduil said, glancing over at the young Elf as they headed back to the heart of the city. The sinking sun set the Culhalla trees ablaze with color and the King found himself feeling an odd touch of envy. His beloved beech trees in the Greenwood would blaze red in the autumn, but the Culhallas were always this color. Rising above the dark green oaks, they looked liked living towers of flame.  
  
Everything that he had seen of Ithilien was beautiful. Thranduil had expected to see more evidence of Sauron's hand in this land. The earth recovered slowly, but he had seen only minor damage.  
  
The more recent damage from the vortex was far more worrisome, but even that, Legolas had turned to his advantage as much as was possible.  
  
"You show good foresight in your trade actions," Thranduil said, winning a surprised glance from Legolas. He had sensed his youngest son's nervousness all through their ride. He supposed he did push his children rather hard, but for a good purpose. Legolas obviously had learned what he should have during his days in Thranduil's court.  
  
"You have a healthy diversity in your produce and offer some goods that no other kingdom can supply. I am proud of you and despite the economic setback of your vineyards, I see a prosperous time ahead for you. Well done!"  
  
Legolas turned to him with a rather sheepish smile, one that Thranduil recognized from Legolas' childhood. The King's heart gave a painful lurch. His son had become distant in more than just leagues and Thranduil desperately missed the shy, cheerful boy that Legolas had been.  
  
"It is a relief to hear you say that Father," Legolas said hesitantly, as if he did not wish to admit it. "I have followed my instincts, but I . . ." he paused and then gave Thranduil a rueful grin. "I am finding that I know both more and less about ruling a kingdom than I thought."  
  
Thranduil chuckled, "You will face that all of your life, I fear."  
  
"Indeed? Yet you make it appear so easy."  
  
"A gift of the descendants of Oropher," Thranduil said with a wink.  
  
Legolas laughed. "By which you mean that there is much bluffing involved."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
They dismounted near the great Hall and Legolas led Thranduil to the stairs of the guest chambers. As they mounted them, Legolas saw one of the she- Elves he had asked to serve as Alede's handmaiden.  
  
"Nimhith? Would you see to Lady Alede? She asked to be woken and may need your assistance to prepare for the ceremony."  
  
The woman stopped and stared at Legolas with an expression, which vaguely reminded him of his mother.  
  
"My Lord," Nimhith replied, "is not the ceremony in an hour's time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The she-Elf shook her head in disgust. "An hour is not enough time for a lady to prepare for her betrothal ceremony. You should have sent for me much earlier." With those parting words, she ascended the steps to Alede's rooms quickly and disappeared from sight.  
  
Thranduil chuckled and patted his son on the shoulder.  
  
"I see that you are in for a rude awakening where women are concerned," the King observed.  
  
"So it appears," Legolas replied with a rueful grin. "Never has one of my people set me down so sternly. But I think that Nimhith will be surprised. Alede is of a practical nature and does not fuss as most women do."  
  
Thranduil raised his brows at this remark but wisely said nothing.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"An hour!?" Alede squeaked in alarm. "I cannot possibly be ready in an hour!"  
  
"I know, my Lady. I informed our Lord as such, but we must do the best that we can." She led Alede into the dark bedchamber and lit a candle. "Undress and I will draw a bath for you."  
  
"I was hoping I could wash my hair again," Alede said from the muffled folds of her dress as she yanked it off hastily. "I don't even know if my father has arrived yet. I hope he arrived safely. I need my trunks too. . . oh!" she stumbled over the wadded up kirtle on the floor.  
  
"Your father and his party arrived this afternoon," the she-Elf said from the bathing chamber. "And I see that your trunks are here as well. There is no time to wash your hair, but I will set some curls in it. Your bath is ready."  
  
Alede bolted into the bath chamber, a robe clutched about her shoulders.  
  
"In the largest trunk is a dress made of gold silk," Alede said, tossing the robe on a chair and plunging into the bathtub. She was in too much of a panic to bother with modesty now. "It's the one I want to . . . ouch! This is hot! The gold dress is the one I want for tonight."  
  
"Very well, my Lady."  
  
"Wait," Alede cried as the she-Elf headed for the door. "I do not even know your name."  
  
The she-Elf turned, giving Alede a smile. "I am called Nimhith."  
  
"Thank you, Nimhith."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede emerged from her bedchamber an hour later, scrubbed and breathless. Nimhith had worked wonders with her hair, taming the unruly locks and coaxing them to curl slightly. Her gown glowed in the candlelight. It had been a gift from Elladan and Elrohir and was made with real gold thread. It rustled softly as she moved.  
  
Outside, the wind stirred in the trees and the building swayed gently. Alede paused, feeling butterflies in her stomach that had nothing to do with the movement of her home.  
  
Nimhith gave her a quick sympathetic smile. "Someone will come to escort you to the gathering," she said as she left.  
  
Alede nodded but stayed still for a moment, trying to control her anxiety, nervously fingering her betrothal ring. She had absolutely no doubts about Legolas. Her love for him was so certain, it was almost as if it had been foreordained. But there still lingered the tiniest doubt that he married her only because he pitied her.  
  
Her rational mind rejected the notion. An Elf would never compromise himself by marrying for such an artificial reason. Nevertheless the tiniest fear remained.  
  
*Nonsense!* Alede told herself fiercely. *Legolas knows his own heart. This is only a betrothal ceremony. If we are not suited, then we will discover it over the next year and may correct any problems which lie between us.*  
  
Reaching out with her song, she tried to touch his mind, but Legolas was distracted and she quietly withdrew. She knew that his people were probably demanding much of his time tonight and decided to leave him in peace. He need not be bothered by her silly insecurities.  
  
Resolutely, she stepped out of her door and plunged into darkness.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas paced behind the dense trees surrounding the gathering place, nervously twisting his betrothal ring around his finger. He had just come from the Great Hall where he and Radagast had exchanged gifts. He was well pleased with the beautiful pair of the Shrykes the old wizard had given him and Radagast in return had been well pleased with Legolas' gifts.  
  
The preparations for the feast were all finished. Savory smells wafted through the trees and his people were gathered at the huge tables, which had been set under the trees. A few torches gave the area a soft glow. But Legolas would be extinguishing them soon, plunging the area into a dramatic darkness as the old customs required.  
  
They only waited now the arrival of his betrothed.  
  
Betrothed. The word had a new meaning now than it had when he had come home five years ago and announced to his people that he was betrothed. Then it had been a romantic idea, a dream of happiness, an excuse to build another home in the trees.  
  
But now it was solid reality and the reality frightened Legolas.  
  
He had absolutely no doubts about Alede. His love for her was so certain, it might as well have been written in the stars. Even if he looked at it from a logical perspective, he knew she was right for him. Alede complimented every part of him and her acceptance, nay, her love of Gimli made it even more certain.  
  
*But what if I cannot make her happy? Alede knows nothing of the demands of rule. What if I cannot give her the time, the attention that she needs?*  
  
He consoled himself that Alede had always been an independent woman, roaming the wilds alone for months at a time. Surely she would not pine if his days were occupied with his people.  
  
But her independence worried him as well. Would she find his kingdom stifling? She had been accustomed to her freedom and as his wife, her time would be much required at court. Would it chafe her that she could not travel whenever the mood struck her?  
  
Legolas would encourage her healing abilities. There were many small villages in Gondor that would benefit from her skill when she could be spared from home. He would insist upon a guard accompanying her though. Would she resent that loss of her freedom?  
  
The crackling of leaves brought him out of his musings. He looked up to see Radagast approaching. The old wizard wore a sympathetic expression.  
  
"My boy," he said, kindly patting Legolas' shoulder, "you have the look of one who has just realized that he will soon be taking a wife."  
  
Legolas grinned ruefully. "Is it that apparent?" he asked, trying to make light of the subject..  
  
Radagast nodded.  
  
Legolas took a deep breath. "I only hope that I can make Alede happy."  
  
Radagast chuckled. "And she has the same worries about you."  
  
"She does?"  
  
"Aye. But trust an old man, Legolas. You are compatible in personality and values, you are both honest to a fault and you are very much in love. You have gone through much for and with each other. You will be happy. I have no doubt about it."  
  
Legolas sighed. "Your words are very reassuring. I thank you."  
  
"Nay, it is I who thanks you," Radagast said, a twinkle in his eye. "I thought I would never get rid of my pesky daughter. She will be in her element with a husband, indeed an entire kingdom, to boss around, to organize . . ."  
  
Legolas laughed, as Radagast had hoped that he would and together they walked to the gathering.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede hurried down the long stairs, feeling as if she were slowly being swallowed by darkness. Only a few torches were lit, one at the bottom of the stairs and another near the great Hall. The feast, she knew lay in the huge open area opposite the hall, but it lay in complete darkness. What was going on?  
  
A figure all in white appeared at the bottom of the steps and for a moment she thought it was Legolas. But then her spirits fell and she realized that it was Thranduil instead.  
  
"My lord," she said hesitantly.  
  
"I instructed you never to call me that again, did I not?"  
  
Alede sighed, an anxious sound. She needed reassurance, not instruction.  
  
"I am sorry. I . . ."  
  
"I see that you chose not to wear your nightclothes for this occasion," Thranduil remarked and Alede's head came up at the smug tones in his voice, as if he had expected her to gallop off in her nightdress all along.  
  
"As I told you," she said haughtily, "I had gowns made in Rivendell."  
  
"I am relieved," he said drolly. "Let us go."  
  
Alede hesitated. "I do not understand why all is in darkness."  
  
"You will see, Daughter. Come."  
  
"But . . ." she hung back nervously.  
  
"Legolas and his people await," Thranduil's voice was impatient.  
  
"It is just," her voice was barely above a whisper, "I cannot see."  
  
Thranduil heard the tremulous quality in her voice and recognized it for what it was. He was not without heart as she believed him to be. Much of Thranduil's antagonism was to see how sternly she was made. Alede had passed most of his tests, but perhaps this one was too much for her considering the circumstances. He could see that she was both tired and hungry and the enormity of what she was doing had only just sunk in.  
  
He turned back to her. "Take my arm," he said softly. "I will not let you falter."  
  
Alede slipped her trembling hand through the crook of his arm. He felt warm and solid and not nearly as imposing as one would think of such an intimidating Elf.  
  
He led her easily through the forest to the gathering place, leaving the torchlight behind. As they walked, Alede caught a few glimmers of stars through the canopy and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see Thranduil's soft glow as well.  
  
She sensed the presence of others as they approached what she assumed was the gathering and soon could see their faint golden glow.  
  
A huge drum suddenly boomed in the darkness. Alede jumped. Thranduil stopped and pulled his arm out of her grasp. For a terrible moment, she thought he was going to leave her. Instead he put an arm about her shoulders and gave her a quick, hard hug, kissing her on the forehead.  
  
She turned to him in surprise, but Thranduil was already rearranging them again, placing her hand on the back of his in the formal way of Elves.  
  
The drum boomed again and then a voice rang out, a voice she did not recognize. The words were in Quenya and she recognized the singsong quality of an elvish minstrel. Her knowledge of the ancient language was sketchy at best and it was a few moments before she began to pick out familiar words.  
  
To Alede's astonishment, she realized that the voice was telling the story of when she found Legolas in Orthanc and his subsequent rescue. It went on for several moments, finally ending with another earth vibrating boom from the drum.  
  
Torches came to life on the opposite end of the gathering, illuminating Legolas as he sat upon a huge carved throne. The yellow light spilled over his hair, gilding it to the color of the finest gold. It lay loose upon his shoulders, save for the sides which had been caught in the back. His clothing was pearl gray, with needlework of dark green tracing a pattern of leaves upon the tunic. A circlet of gold and emeralds sat upon his brow and he looked both stern and fair.  
  
Alede's trepidation doubled. Legolas looked nothing like the Elf she had come to know. She had seen him injured, his eyes glazed with pain, burning up with fever. She had seen him deadly angry, frustrated, and weary with despair. And too, she had seen him smiling, brimming over with mischief.  
  
But never like this.  
  
She had never seen this side of him.  
  
He looked like a king.  
  
The drums began a steady beat then. Three Elves circled the massive drums, cut from a hollow trunk. Flutes began a slow hypnotic tune and Alede felt as if she had stepped into another world. These were not the urban Elves that she was accustomed to in Rivendell. These were Wood Elves, who even Elrohir considered wild and untamed. This was an alien world, something beyond her ken and Alede realized that she was not at all prepared for it. She had thought she was, but the royal vision ahead of her, proved that she was wrong.  
  
Legolas sat his throne like one of the ancient pagan gods, both terrible and beautiful at once. She felt unworthy to even worship at his alter.  
  
The journey, the lack of sleep and food all caught up with her. She would have swooned if not for Thranduil's warm hand beneath her's.  
  
"Good people of Eryn Culhallas," the minstrel announced, in Sindarin, "Prepare to receive our sovereign's betrothed, the Lady Alede."  
  
The desperately beautiful pagan god at the other end of the gathering rose fluidly from his throne and stood.  
  
With a wave of his hand, torches sprang to life on either side of Alede and she gasped. She had not even known that he possessed this bit of Elvin magic. When had he acquired it or had it always been a part of him?  
  
"Chin up," Thranduil whispered. "And for the love of Ilúvatar, breathe!"  
  
Alede took a deep shuddering breath, realizing that she had been holding it and then Thranduil started forward. Alede concentrated on keeping her head up and not stepping on the hem of her gown. She had a death grip on the back of Thranduil's hand. She did not look to either side of her, though the torches continued to light as she and the King of the Greenwood slowly walked the impossible length of the gathering. She kept her eyes on Legolas instead and as she drew closer, she realized that he looked less and less like a god and more like the Elf that she so desperately loved. A smile touched the corners of his finely wrought mouth and his eyes were full of joy.  
  
Then Gimli stepped up onto the dais beside Legolas and his comfortingly homely face reassured her so much that she broke into a smile. And because she did not look to either side, she did not know the effect that her smile had upon the people watching her. She did not know that the people of Eryn Culhallas had spent the last five years dreading the coming of their Prince's betrothed, for she was a foreigner to them and they trusted not the people outside their own race.  
  
But the warmth of her smile reassured them and it told them too that she loved their prince with all her heart. So when Thranduil led her up to the dais and handed her to Legolas, the people let out a sigh of relief and when Legolas turned Alede to face them and bid them to welcome her, they did so with glad hearts and their shouts of joy rang out.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"I feared you might faint," Legolas said to Alede quietly as they sat at the table. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I feared I might too," Alede whispered back. "But yes, I am well. Too much excitement and too little food. Thank the Valar for you father! He practically held me up!"  
  
"If our betrothal feast does this to you, what will you be like on our wedding day?" he asked, his eyes brimming with joy and mischief.  
  
"Giddy!" Alede grinned.  
  
Legolas laughed contentedly. Now that he was with her, everything seemed well. In her nervousness, Alede had unthinkingly blocked her song from him, but now their notes wrapped around each other like lovers and his confidence soared. There was no obstacle the two of them could not surmount.  
  
Beneath the table, Alede's hand brushed across his thigh, seeking his. Legolas forgot all else as her fingers intertwined with his. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed it softly. All who happened to be watching them, smiled at the love they saw shining in their brief shared look. *  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The rest of the feast was much too long for Legolas, but he hoped that its grandness would satisfy his people's desire to celebrate their sovereign's betrothal. Personally, he wanted nothing more than to be alone with Alede, though he knew that would not happen for probably several more hours.  
  
Despite Mändel's protests, Legolas had insisted that the gift giving be held privately, with only family members present. And after that was done, Legolas intended to gloat over her like a territorial dragon.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"You were wonderful, Alede," Legolas said as they walked through her door. "But I fear Mändel spoke far too long. I hope he did not weary you. He is very conscientious about performing his duties as steward."  
  
Alede shook her head as she lit lamps in her visiting room. "Your people did me much honor. I was so worried about meeting them."  
  
"They will come to love you, Alede," Legolas said quietly as he walked over to her. "They were impressed with your graciousness tonight and as they come to know you, they will love you as one of their own." Alede turned and stepped into his arms. He held her close and kissed the side of her face. "You are breathtakingly beautiful tonight," he said softly.  
  
Alede flushed with pleasure. "And you are breathtakingly handsome," she said.  
  
"Mmm . . . if not for the footsteps which I hear on the stairs outside, I would take you to your bedchamber and ravish you," Legolas said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  
  
"Perhaps . . ." Alede began shyly, "I could lock the door?"  
  
Legolas threw back his head and laughed, just as that door swung open.  
  
"You could have lent a hand!" Gimli growled as he stepped into the room, bearing a large trunk and sweating profusely.  
  
"And insult your Dwarvin pride?" Thranduil asked smoothly in his most imperious tone. "Your people boast of your strength. Be grateful, Master Dwarf that I opened the door for you."  
  
Gimli muttered something impolite under his breath and set the heavy trunk down. Radagast came in behind the King, looking amused, carrying a small trunk as well.  
  
"This room is too small for the four of us," Thranduil observed.  
  
"Five of us," both Legolas and Alede corrected at the same time.  
  
Alede grinned, but Legolas was too busy giving his father a scathing look to notice.  
  
"You are correct, Father," Alede told Thranduil. "But my father has not yet seen my chambers and I wished to show him Legolas' generosity."  
  
Thranduil sat down in the large chair and gave Alede a knowing look. He knew she was trying to placate him.  
  
Alede merely tossed the King a smile. She had not forgotten that he'd kissed her forehead before the ceremony. His impetuous tone no longer frightened her.  
  
Legolas gave the two an amused glance and gestured to Gimli. "Come, we can fetch chairs from my rooms."  
  
"This is beautiful!" Radagast declared, poking around in Alede's library. "Your betrothed is generous indeed! You should see the rooms he prepared for Cyrus and I . . . and the desk and parchment and quills . . . there is even a falconry for my birds . . ."  
  
Alede smiled as her father babbled on happily. Legolas and Gimli came in a moment later bearing chairs and an oddly wrapped bundle. Once they were all seated, Alede cleared her throat.  
  
"Well, it seems that everyone else has exchanged gifts, but me," she said, rising and walked over to the small trunk, which she handed to Legolas.  
  
Legolas grinned up at her, like a child receiving a conception day gift and lifted the lid. ** He pulled out a heavy vial, cut of crystal, the mate of the vial she had given Thranduil.  
  
"It is distillation of Unicorn's horn," Alede told him, explaining how it could be used to purify his kingdom.  
  
"Alede!" He looked up at her, a solemn smile on his face. "I cannot begin to tell you how much this means to me. Thank you. I have heard how long this takes to brew. I am honored that you would go to so much trouble." The look he gave her more than made up for the long hours, indeed days, that she had spent on the precious liquid.  
  
"And now . . ." He picked up the oblong bundle and handed it to her.  
  
"There is more?" Alede asked in amazement, casting a glance at her opulent home. She untied the ribbon and carefully pulled the folds of cloth away to reveal an oak staff. "Oh!" she cried in delight. "Is it . . ?"  
  
"Aye," Legolas answered, "It is a living staff, like the one my father gave to Radagast. I know that yours was lost in the Faerie Kingdom."  
  
With a cry of delight and gratitude, Alede waved the staff and sent a shower of flower petals cascading over Legolas. He chuckled as they turned to little bits of light as they hit the floor and vanished.  
  
"And for you," she said, handing a small, plain box to Gimli. "So that the Glittering Caves might be kept pure as well."  
  
Gimli's mouth fell open as he accepted the distillation. "I . . . I thank you, my Lady. You need not have given me a gift though. This custom is for family members . . ."  
  
"Of which Alede and I consider you a part of," Legolas said, ignoring the scowl on his father's face.  
  
"Agreed," Alede said firmly.  
  
"Well, in that case . . ." Gimli began. "I have something for you, Alede," Gimli said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I was not certain if it was appropriate, but I made it anyway." He held out a small cloth pouch.  
  
Alede took it from him, her eyes bright with pleasure and curiosity. Carefully she opened the pouch and shook out a small object. Alede held it up and then cried out with delight.  
  
It was a delicate necklace of gold, with a small pendant shaped like the rising sun. In its center winked an amber diamond.  
  
"Gimli, it is beautiful!"  
  
"It is indeed," Legolas said, coming to stand beside her to get a better look.  
  
"It is because you brought the sun back into Legolas' life," Gimli mumbled.  
  
"Thank you," Alede whispered, kissing the blushing dwarf on the cheek.  
  
"Is the gem from the Glittering Caves?" Thranduil asked, showing interest in the dwarf for the first time.  
  
"Nay," Gimli said smugly. "It is a faerie gem, from our little adventure in Rivendell. It was on a pin in the Faerie Queen's hair. I stole it when I placed that iron collar around her neck."  
  
Legolas slapped his friend's shoulder and laughed. Alede shook her head in bemusement.  
  
"I am not certain how to thank you for a stolen gem," she laughed.  
  
"Well," Gimli paused, looking shy again. "I thought that you should have something to remind you of your battle in the Faerie Kingdom. You put up a mighty fight with that Queen. It seemed only far that you should have some of the spoils."  
  
Alede nodded, too overcome with emotion to say anything.  
  
"The gold however," Gimli said in a lighter tone, "I mined and worked myself."  
  
"Only half stolen then," Alede amended with a smile. "Thank you Gimli. I will treasure this."  
  
Then she nodded toward the last remaining trunk. Together, she and Gimli placed it at Legolas' feet.  
  
"Is this the thing that is shorter than my bow, but has a longer reach?" the young prince asked.  
  
"Yes, it is," Alede said, stepping back.  
  
Legolas glanced at both of them, his eyes bright as he lifted the lid.  
  
"What . . ?" He carefully pulled out a cylinder of brass that was nestled in heavy cloth.  
  
"It is Gimli's invention," Alede started to explain.  
  
"Nay, it was Alede's idea," Gimli argued.  
  
"But what is it?" Legolas asked.  
  
Alede glanced at Gimli and he glanced at her.  
  
"It is a star glass," Gimli said with a shrug. "At least that is what I have been calling it."  
  
"A . . ?"  
  
"To look at the stars," Alede interjected. "I had the idea when Cyrus kept talking about that bubble of glass that Gimli used to magnify the writing on the Faerie Goblet. Cylinders like this are used on sailing ships to sight land. And . . . there was that night we sat talking in that tree in Rivendell. You showed me the constellations and the stars. So I wrote to Gimli . . ."  
  
"And she asked me if something could be made to look at the stars," Gimli finished for her.  
  
Legolas was looking at both of them with amazement. Carefully setting the cylinder on his lap, he dug through the cloth in the trunk and lifted out a mount for the cylinder. Thranduil leaned toward him, his curiosity overriding his disdain of all things Dwarvish.  
  
"Shall we try it out?" Legolas asked enthusiastically.  
  
Gimli led the way out onto the balcony and helped Legolas to put the cylinder on the base. They aimed it at the moon, barely visible through the trees.  
  
"Now, you look through here, you see?" the dwarf explained, "There are two sets of concave glass inside that magnify and . . . No wait . . . you move this part of the cylinder back and forth to make the view clear."  
  
"Like so?" Legolas asked, experimenting. "Ah! I have it." There was a long silence while Legolas looked through the cylinder. When he backed away, his face was suffused with amazement. "It is exquisite! There are mountains and valleys! Tis like another world!"  
  
Thranduil moved forward and Legolas stepped aside, walking over to Alede.  
  
"I do not even know what to say. I am grateful and pleased beyond words."  
  
"Then words are not needed," she answered, smiling up at him.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Look at this one, Alede," Legolas said as he gazed through the star glass. *** It was late and the others had all retired to their beds. A single candle burned in Alede's chambers and she and Legolas had dragged a bench over to the star glass. Alede was wrapped in a blanket and leaned her back against the smooth wall of her home. She watched Legolas' silhouette in the darkness contentedly.  
  
She moved over on the bench to take her turn at the star glass.  
  
"Amazing!" she said after a moment. "There are purple clouds around that star!"  
  
"Aye," Legolas said leaning back. "It is in the belt of the Hunter. Who would have known that such a thing could exist?"  
  
"It is beautiful," Alede said, leaning back to sit beside him. Legolas put his arm about her shoulders, pulling her close.  
  
Alede snuggled into him and stifled a yawn.  
  
"Shall I carry you to your bed?" Legolas asked gently. "You have had a long journey and only a short nap this afternoon."  
  
"I do not wish to sleep," she admitted. "I want to be with you. Oh, how I have missed you!" she said, hugging him tightly.  
  
"And I you," he said, returning the embrace. After a moment he added. "I could stay with you, if you wish."  
  
"Do you intend to ravish me?" Alede asked, her voice a mixture of nervousness and teasing.  
  
Legolas stroked a finger softly over her cheek as he considered what to say. "What I said earlier was in jest. Not that I did not consider the idea," he added as she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. "But we are betrothed," he continued. "According to the customs of my people, this is supposed to be a time of spiritual contemplation, a joining of minds and hearts, not bodies. I have no objections to becoming lovers now, but . . ."  
  
"But it will not allow us to form the solid basis for our marriage. A base built on trust, friendship and knowledge," Alede finished. She remembered that conversation that they had had long ago while sitting high up in a tree in the dark.  
  
"Exactly," Legolas said.  
  
"Then I would prefer that we wait," Alede said. "Our future is too important to squander on a momentary passion." She paused thoughtfully. "It will be hard though."  
  
"It already is," Legolas deadpanned.  
  
Alede nodded before she caught the glimmer of mischief in his eyes.  
  
"Legolas! I meant putting our passions aside! I was not referring to your . . ." she stumbled to a halt, feeling the heat rise in her face.  
  
Legolas laughed and pulled her close again. "I know what you meant. But my offer still stands. I will sleep with you if you wish it, just to hold you."  
  
"I . . . yes, would you, please?" she asked.  
  
Legolas nodded. Together they carried the star glass into the visiting room and then Legolas crossed over to his own home to get some nightclothes.  
  
Alede quickly undressed and put on a nightdress, then slipped under the soft linens of her bed. She had just gotten comfortable, when Legolas returned. She had a brief glimpse of him as he leaned over the night table. His fair hair slid loose over his shoulders and the light from the candle briefly lit his incredibly handsome face. When he blew out the flame, the room fell into darkness.  
  
The mattress dipped as Legolas got into bed beside her and then his arms enclosed her. Alede turned so that her face was pressed against the warmth of his throat. She inhaled his clean, rain-washed pine scent and felt that she could not be happier.  
  
Legolas stroked Alede's back softly and listened to her even breathing. Her breath was warm against his skin. He kissed her hair and settled her closer, whispering soft words to her.  
  
Alede whispered them back to him and he drifted off to sleep, knowing that this was one of the happiest moments of his life.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Green eyes the color of new leaves stared down at a bowl of griffon's tears with vivid fury.  
  
Zarraweth watched the woman as she got into bed. There was nothing to distinguish her from any other human. She had the same dark gold hair and freckles that were common among many of the Rohirrim women. She was perhaps a bit taller than most humans, but that in itself was nothing extraordinary.  
  
It was not until the Elf blew out the candle that Zarraweth got a really good look at her in the scrying bowl before the room went dark. What she saw nearly made her toss the bowl and its precious fluid to the floor.  
  
Green eyes the color of new leaves stared back at her and Zarraweth knew that she looked upon one of her own people.  
  
Getting up, she summoned one of the Orcs cowering in a corner. "Bring me one of those miserable Elves!" she screeched. "It is time to make the Griffon cry again!"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Oh dear. Now what is Zarraweth up to? The action begins in chapter 7, so for those of you gagging over too much romantic mush, here it comes! :)  
  
Many thanks for your reviews and also for the lovely comments about Thranduil. I'm so glad that you like him - he's always been my second favorite Elf. I love his prickly exterior that covers such a warm heart.  
  
Also, someone asked the question as to why Legolas had a kingdom in Ithilien. Well . . . I can only say that I'm basing this off of the appendixes in "Return of the King" in which Tolkien states that Legolas brings *his* people south from the Greenwood and they dwell in Ithilien for many years. We know that Legolas is a prince, so I can only assume that he would be the lord of this particular kingdom.  
  
* Special thanks to Thecla for that lovely addition. :D  
  
** In Tolkien's letters he refers to Elves celebrating their "conception day" instead of their birthday. Since Elves are able to "turn on and off" their ability to be fertile, I guess a conception day is a big thing for them. *shrugs*  
  
*** Telescopes may seem like a very modern invention but in truth they date back to the 1500s. Elves and Dwarves certainly had all the technology needed to create one, I figured it just needed an inventive and inquisitive mind like Gimli's to come up with it.  
  
The purple clouds that Legolas and Alede are looking at are the Orion Nebula. The Nebula is visible to the naked eye and certainly to an Elf as a haze around one of the stars in the belt. When seen through a telescope and even some high-powered binoculars, the haze transforms into a breathtaking swirl of purple clouds. Orion was sometimes known as the Hunter before the Greeks gave it its current name. :)  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid. 


	7. Eye of the Storm

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 7 ~ "Eye of the Storm"  
  
The Elf stood as the Orcs came in to take her. He did not know why he made the effort to stand. His muscles were hardly up to the task and his mind no longer even remembered the she-Elf's name.  
  
But for some forgotten reason, he knew it was important to stand. Even though the effort had long ago proved useless, he knew that he had to try to save her. So when the stinking, hideous Orcs dragged her to her feet and took off the chains, he bunched what was left of his muscles and prepared to move.  
  
As the Orcs dragged her unresisting toward the door of their cell, the Elf lashed out with a bare foot, kicking the closest one away. The Orc staggered, completely surprised by this show of resistance by those it had thought long subdued. It crashed into the other Orc and sent them both sprawling against the wall.  
  
For one aching moment, the she-Elf was free.  
  
"Run!" the Elf said through cracked lips.  
  
She stared at him without comprehension, without hope, then awareness and recognition flickered in her eyes. Her hand reached up to touch his face, but it never made the journey. The Orcs with a howl of rage, leaped to their feet, easily capturing her emaciated body and cruelly binding her hands behind her.  
  
The Orc who had been kicked delivered a punishing blow to the Elf with his mailed fist. The Elf gasped and sagged against his chains as he felt ribs crack. But he did manage to look up one last time as the she-Elf was taken from the cell.  
  
For a frozen moment, their gazes locked and he remembered who she was. Then she was gone.  
  
"Romiël," he whispered as a tear slid down his face, "my beloved sister."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede woke before the sun rose as the birds began their predawn chorus. Since they were just outside her windows, she could hardly help but hear them, though when she opened her eyes, she could not see them.  
  
Blinking, she was able to make out the dark shape of her Culhalla, only because it was blacker than the grayness behind it. But even as she watched, the grayness took on a tinge of blue and she guessed that it was just before sunrise.  
  
Nuzzling her cheek against the softness of the linens, she contemplated going back to sleep. The bed was warm and smelled of lavender, a fresh breeze trickled in from an open window somewhere and she was completely comfortable.  
  
But all of those things paled in comparison to the arm that was draped over her waist and the chest that pressed against her back.  
  
Unable to stop the smile that crept over her face, Alede lay in the dark, grinning in what she was certain must be an idiotic fashion. Legolas lay right behind her.  
  
Five years and how many countless nights and right now, at this very moment, he was there, warm and real with his breath stirring her hair.  
  
A giggle of happiness burst from her lips and she rolled over.  
  
Or tried to.  
  
Her nightdress was caught beneath her and while she was getting it sorted out, Legolas sighed in his sleep and rolled over onto his back. But once she had the nightdress yanked out of the way, Alede rolled over until she was facing Legolas.  
  
And then she pounced.  
  
Legolas woke with a start. He had been sleeping quite soundly, much harder than an Elf normally slept. But then he had foregone sleep for many nights prior to Alede's arrival, much too anxious to rest.  
  
So when a soft, warm object landed upon his chest and twined with his legs, he was not as prepared for it as he normally might have been.  
  
Nevertheless it took him only a moment to figure out what the soft thing was that was sprawled against him, tickling him with her hair beneath his chin and hugging his ribs so fiercely he could scarcely draw breath.  
  
He stretched and felt a prickle of excitement through their shared song. Chuckling softly, he hugged her back.  
  
"Good morning, Alede," he said with a grin.  
  
"Good morning," she said, her voice muffled against the blankets and his chest, but he could hear the happiness in it.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" he asked as he stroked her hair.  
  
"Yes." The arm encircling his ribs tightened. And then she raised her head, peeking up at him, her green eyes alight with delight.  
  
Legolas could not help laughing. Alede's hair was in wild disarray. It tumbled about her face like an agitated cloud and she looked positively adorable.  
  
"What are you laughing about?" Alede asked, though she could easily guess.  
  
"Not a thing," Legolas replied, trying to look innocent.  
  
"Humph!" Alede did not believe him for one moment and dug her fingers into his ribs.  
  
"Cease!" Legolas laughed, dragging her fingers away from his ribs. They tussled for several moments as Alede tried to tickle him again.  
  
"You were laughing at me!" she exclaimed, giggling. "And you always look so perfect!" She managed to slip a hand free and sank her fingers into his silky hair, giving the locks a good tousling.  
  
Legolas gave a mock cry of dismay and then he finally shoved her over on her back, capturing her hands and throwing a leg across her thighs to still her.  
  
"Are you always this naughty in the morning," Legolas asked, grinning as he hovered over her. His hair slipped over his shoulders to brush her face and throat with its silkiness.  
  
"I do not know," Alede responded pertly. "I've never had this type of provocation before." But then the laughter fled from her face as Legolas gave her a look that made her innards turn to mush.  
  
He released her wrists and moved his hands to cup the sides of her face and kissed her deeply. Alede responded by wrapping her arms around him tightly. She melted into his embrace and Legolas pressed her lips open, exploring her mouth and her sweet warmth. Their tongues met in an ancient dance, twining and thrusting in a rhythm that foreshadowed what they both knew would come eventually.  
  
Legolas' hand traced the curve of her ribs, sliding over the soft fabric of her nightdress to circle around her waist and hold her close. Alede arched up into him and he could not help the tiny groan that left his throat.  
  
Alede nipped softly at his lips, her hands moving in the silken mass of his hair. He leaned down to nuzzle her throat and she sighed.  
  
"Legolas? Uhm . . . about this custom during betrothal . . . uhm . . ."  
  
Legolas rose up on his elbows to look at her and slowly shook his head.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, what a wanton I am betrothed to."  
  
"Wanton!" Alede exclaimed. "I am no such thing! Next I suppose you'll say that I was trying to seduce you!"  
  
"I need not say it, 'twas obvious when you pounced on me," he grinned, ducking when Alede tried to tweak his ear. "If you are this filled with lust now, what will you be like on our wedding night?" he asked with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.  
  
"By then, I won't even want you," she said, trying unsuccessfully to give him a petulant pout.  
  
"Aye, you will," Legolas predicted with a mischievous grin and an infuriatingly smug look.  
  
"OH!" Alede cried in mock outrage, trying to shove him away. But Legolas ducked under her arms, pressed his lips against her chest and blew hard, making her squirm with giggles. Then he bounded out of the bed and headed for the door.  
  
"I think the year to come will prove interesting, Melui," he said from the doorway, his eyes twinkling.  
  
"Humph,"  
  
"Will you join me for breakfast?" he coaxed, knowing that she was not really angry with him. "I intend to consult with your father and mine about the magician in Mordor. I would appreciate your opinion as much, if not more so, than theirs."  
  
Alede smiled at the compliment. "Of course I will join you. Where are we meeting for breakfast?"  
  
"The Great Hall. I will wait for you and walk you down."  
  
He started to leave and then ducked his head back in the door. "Alede?"  
  
"Yes?" she asked, swinging her feet to the floor.  
  
"You might want to consider brushing your hair before you come down."  
  
"OH!"  
  
The pillow slammed into the doorframe only seconds after his grinning face disappeared.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Zarraweth crowed in triumph as she levitated a drop of the griffon's tears away from him. Ignoring the pitiful sounds coming from the she-Elf as the Orc tortured her, the witch dropped the liquid into her black bowl.  
  
"This is enough," she said to the Orc. "We'll need to save the Elf for another time," she added maliciously. Torturing the Elves was now the only way she could make the griffon cry. The creature had grown too dangerous for Zarraweth to get near. The manacles barely controlled him now.  
  
So far the griffon had not found a way to break free of its collar, but Zarraweth knew it was only a matter of time. She was even now working on a way to preserve the tears, since soon she'd have to kill the griffon before it became too much of a danger to her.  
  
"You have made a big missssstake, Zzzzaraweth," the griffon hissed. "Ssssset me free now and I will give you a quick and painlessss deathhh. Wait; and I will sssstring your innardssss about the rampartsss as you watch."  
  
Zarraweth looked up from her black bowl and laughed. "Fool! I will never set you free. You are mine! Mine, do you hear!"  
  
"I hear your deathhh sssscreams, witch," the griffon replied coldly.  
  
Zarraweth gave a short laugh, not letting the beast see how its words affected her. "Take the prisoner back to its cell," she commanded, turning toward the steps.  
  
The Orcs hauled the bleeding she-Elf to her feet, ignoring her cries of pain. But they did not watch the griffon closely enough.  
  
The deer carcass they had given him days earlier had been reduced to bones. But those bones were heavy enough that when well aimed they knocked both Orcs off their feet as the griffon hurled them across the tower.  
  
The Orcs tried to struggle to their feet in time to catch the she-Elf as she staggered away from them. But the griffon moved too quickly, cutting them off from her, throwing his own body in their way.  
  
Zarraweth turned back to see what was happening.  
  
"Leave it!" She shouted at the Orcs. She did not need the griffon killing any more of her Orcs. She loathed the horrid creatures but now found they were in short supply. At least a hundred of them had deserted a few days ago and the griffon had killed two only yesterday. "If the griffon wants an Elf, let it have it. Maybe we won't have to go hunting anymore."  
  
The Orcs scuttled toward the door, but the griffon's immense wing caught one, sweeping it backward into the gaping beak. A sickening crunch ended the Orc's shrieks. The remaining Orc plunged toward the door and bolted through it, slamming it behind him and throwing the lock.  
  
The griffon let out a hiss of rage, but quickly settled his wings so as not to frighten the she-Elf. He must not let her jump as the other one had.  
  
"I will protect you," he said as softly as his avian voice would allow. She shrank away from him and the griffon's heart squeezed tightly as she backed toward the battlements. He must not let her die!  
  
"Here," he pushed a filthy bowl toward her with carefully concealed talons. "Water. I have no food for you, child, but take sssome water."  
  
The she-Elf remained where she was, crouched on the cold floor, shaking with fear and pain. The griffon could barely stand to look at her. What the Orcs had done to her, made his stomach turn.  
  
With slow, careful movements he laid down, folding his front talons over each other in what he hoped was a non-threatening position. When the she- Elf still made no move, he closed his eyes to mere slits.  
  
Hours seemed to pass as the griffon watched the Elf shivering on the cold stones. But finally, carefully, she crept toward the water bowl, inching her way to it. Still, the griffon did not move, not until she had plunged her hands into the stagnant water and drank her fill.  
  
Then he reared up as quickly as lightning, throwing out a wing and catching her, rolling her tiny body beneath his. The griffon expected her to bolt and clamped down on a frail arm with his mighty talon. He was totally unprepared for the little Elf to roll up into a ball of fear.  
  
"I am ssssorry, child," he hissed gently. "I feared you would harm yourssself. I will not hurt you."  
  
The Elf made no response, only continued to shiver in fright, so the griffon did the only thing he could.  
  
"I cannot heal your woundssss, but I can help them." Lowering his great head, he gently licked the many wounds, washing the filth of her long captivity away from the raw flesh. As he tasted her torture, his tears fell upon her. The salty fluid did not heal her wounds, but it washed them clean. Spreading his great wings, the griffon sheltered her from the bitter wind and gradually, hour-by-hour, the Elf's shivering stopped and she dropped into the first dreamless sleep she had known in centuries.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas and Alede were late.  
  
Despite curtailing their amorous activities, Legolas wore a grin that he simply could not seem to wipe off his face. Alede gave him a radiant smile. She looked beautiful in an under dress of silvery gray and a kirtle of dark green, the colors of Eryn Culhallas. Her hair was loose and fell over her shoulders in waves.  
  
Legolas had to force himself not to think of their earlier activities, otherwise he'd never be able to concentrate on the business at hand. But he did allow himself a moment of smug satisfaction knowing that he would spend the rest of eternity waking up with a mischievous imp beside him.  
  
Or on top of him.  
  
And just how did she know that his ribs were ticklish anyway, he permitted himself to wonder as they stepped out onto the broad balcony that belonged to Cyrus and Alede's father.  
  
Everyone was already gathered and Legolas greeted them. Radagast, Cyrus and Gimli were tucking into breakfast as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. Thranduil sat watching them with a curl of disgust on his fine mouth. Mändel had his usual assortment of papers and appeared to have ignored his breakfast.  
  
Legolas found that he actually felt hungry this morning, an odd occurrence, since Elves ate little.  
  
He tossed a glance at Alede. No doubt it was she who had awoken his appetite.  
  
She returned his smile before walking over to greet her father.  
  
"You look lovely this morning, Daughter," Radagast said, carefully wiping his mouth on his napkin and giving Alede a good morning hug.  
  
"Thank you, Father," she said, kissing his cheek. She greeted Cyrus and then walked over to Gimli. The dwarf had stood as soon as she entered the balcony and now he gave her a short bow. Legolas was pleased to see how well they got on together, but he was even more pleased when Alede bent and kissed the dwarf upon the cheek.  
  
Gimli sat back down again, red in the face, but obviously pleased.  
  
Alede then approached King Thranduil. For a moment Legolas thought that she would drop a kiss upon his cheek as well. Apparently the king did too, for he sat back in his chair, eyes narrowed, looking up at her with a mixture of haughtiness and daring.  
  
Alede faltered and hesitated. Apparently losing her nerve, she dropped Thranduil a rather hasty curtsy.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
Thranduil cocked his head speculatively as she sat down. "I believe I instructed you not to curtsy to me."  
  
"Perhaps you did," Alede said with more nonchalance than she probably felt. "But there was so much instruction during our journey, surely you cannot blame me for forgetting some of it."  
  
Legolas shot his father a dark look. He had known that Thranduil would bully her and here was proof of it!  
  
"Let us hope that you retained some of the more pertinent instructions," the King growled.  
  
Before Alede could reply, Mändel interrupted, obviously sensing trouble.  
  
"Your Highness," he said directing his gaze to Legolas, "perhaps you could acquaint our guests with the magic you encountered in Mordor."  
  
Legolas paused, giving his father and Alede one more glance. The two were looking at each other with sparkling eyes. Legolas had not thought Alede would be interested in the games Thranduil played, but obviously something had changed between them. Perhaps something last night at the ceremony, or before it began . . .  
  
Realizing that everyone was waiting for him to answer, Legolas began his account of the troubles in Mordor. He started by telling them of the various items of dark magic which his people had managed to confiscate from traders slipping through their borders.  
  
"I had better take a look at these items," Alede interrupted. "If they are as dangerous as the Faerie Goblet . . ." she left the sentence unfinished and Legolas nodded.  
  
"It would be of great relief to me if you did. Though I will admit that many of them we burned. But those that could not be burned are in a deep storage room beneath this hall."  
  
Alede nodded and Legolas continued, moving on to their decision to march on Mordor and the strangely easy battle that ensued.  
  
"The Orcs simply marched out onto the plains?" Thranduil asked in astonishment. "That is not their way. Even Uruk-hai would not be so foolish, would they?"  
  
"Nay, Father," Legolas answered him. "The ease of the battle amazed us all. It was almost as if their commander had no knowledge of battle."  
  
"Or it may have been deceit of some kind. Perhaps the enemy has more warriors in reserve that he intends to use at another time. The battle may have served some other purpose than that which it appeared."  
  
Legolas fought to keep his face neutral. He had known before his father even opened his mouth what lecture the King would give. Even more amusing was that Legolas had already had those same thoughts.  
  
*I am my father's son.* But that knowledge no longer bothered him. Legolas was finally coming to terms with his father.  
  
He glanced at Alede. At least about most subjects he had come to terms with him.  
  
Continuing his dialog, he told them of the storm that had hit the outskirts of Eryn Culhallas and his subsequent repairs and sending scouts into the Ash Mountains.  
  
"So it would seem," Thranduil said, steepling his fingers, "that this entity, who ever he is, realizes that you were the driving force behind the attack, Legolas. Therefore, your kingdom was singled out for destruction."  
  
"Do you know if the other kingdoms nearby have suffered?" Alede asked.  
  
"I have sent messengers to both Lord Faramir and King Elessar. Their lands have not suffered. But I do not know of your people," Legolas said turning to Gimli.  
  
"I will send my warriors back today so that they may see if all is well."  
  
"Nay," Legolas said hastily, "They have journeyed long. You may borrow one of my Shrykes which Radagast was so kind as to gift me with."  
  
Gimli nodded his thanks.  
  
"But how is it that your involvement in this affair is known to our enemy?" Thranduil persisted.  
  
"I have wondered that too, Father," Legolas answered. "It is well known that my people have been arresting traders who bear dark magic. Perhaps they surmised that I was behind the attack. Or perhaps we are merely the closest."  
  
"Or there is a spy in our midst," Gimli said grimly.  
  
Radagast nodded, joining in the conversation for the first time. "I had wondered that as well."  
  
"None of my people would spy," Legolas said with some heat. "And I do not believe it of Faramir's men. They lived under the threat of Mordor for too long. They hate it as much as we do. Gimli's people are out of the question and Aragorn's warriors would not have been privy to such information."  
  
"You cannot eliminate the dwarves simply because one of them is your friend," Thranduil put in. "Dwarves have been known to be treacherous."  
  
"As have Elves," Gimli growled.  
  
At that comment everyone began to talk at once. Thranduil and Gimli exchanged insults. Radagast insisted that birds could be turned into spies while Mändel argued that they would have noticed birds spying on them. It was Alede who finally stopped the argument. But she had to stand up and slap a hand on the table before they would cease bickering and listen.  
  
"I believe that you are all wrong," she insisted.  
  
"Indeed? Pray enlighten us," Thranduil remarked drolly.  
  
Alede flicked him a look of irritation. She heard the sarcasm in his tone.  
  
"I will attempt to," sitting back down again, she tossed her hair off of her shoulders. "On every occasion when the magic was used, I could hear it, but my father and Cyrus could not."  
  
Thranduil made and impatient noise, but said nothing when Legolas shot him a frown.  
  
"When the storm hit Eryn Culhallas," she continued, "Both King Thranduil and myself heard it quite clearly. This seems to indicate to me that the magic being used is of a natural kind, green magic, if you'll permit me to use the common term. Wizards cannot hear or wield it, but I can because of my mixed blood."  
  
"Very well," Thranduil said, his impatience breaking through, "we obviously have a wielder of green magic who has gone bad. What of it? It still does not answer our question of the spy."  
  
"But it does," Alede insisted. "One of the uses of green magic is scrying. Even Lady Galadriel used a form of it, though her's was far more advanced than anything I have every performed, or so I have heard."  
  
Beside her, Gimli nodded sagely, considering himself the resident expert on the Lady of Light.  
  
"Alede?" Legolas began, "Could you use the same method to spy on our enemy?"  
  
"Yes, I was about to suggest it."  
  
"What are the risks?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Well," she considered. "If I reveal myself to him . . ."  
  
"No!" Radagast said jumping up. "It is too dangerous! If you reveal yourself to the dark one you could come under his control."  
  
"Father . . ." Alede began impatiently.  
  
"She will resist him," Legolas said quietly and all eyes turned at the confidence in his tone. "I was there," he reminded Alede looking at her with pride.  
  
"What do you mean?" Alede asked in confusion. "Where? I do not understand what you are speaking of."  
  
"In the ruins of Orthanc when you rescued me from the dark wizard," Legolas answered. "You held in your hand a book of dark magic. For a moment I watched you, I watched the desire on your face, the lust in your eyes. You wanted that book. I would even say that you wanted that book more than you had ever wanted anything in your life up to that moment. But instead you destroyed it. You turned away from its evil. This incompetent magician will not sway you. I have every confidence in you, Alede. "  
  
She dropped her eyes from his intense gaze, immensely flattered by his praise and rather embarrassed as well. She had wanted that book of dark magic. She had wanted it more than anything and later had regretted destroying it. But looking back up into Legolas' twilight gaze, she realized that something had replaced that desire, something so strong she would never turn, no matter the provocation.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Thranduil asked impatiently, ruining the moment.  
  
Radagast gave the king a dark look, but Alede silenced any protest he might have made.  
  
"I will be fine, Father. I have a new staff after all. It is much more powerful than my old one."  
  
Legolas stood up. "What do you need?"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede sat down at the small table in her father's visiting room. Radagast had suggested it because the windows could be fully shuttered and it was so close to where they waited on the balcony. Legolas had gone to fetch the water from the stream himself, careful, as Alede had instructed him, not to touch it.  
  
She now sat in the darkened room, alone, with a lovely clay bowl in front of her. The water shivered slightly as Alede inadvertently breathed on it. Other than that all was still and quiet, though she knew that the others waited impatiently outside.  
  
But Alede did not let their impatience hurry her. She needed to be calm for what she was about to do. Allowing her mind to clear, her gaze wandered around the room. Legolas had indeed been generous to her father. The rooms were comfortable and richly furnished.  
  
Closing her eyes, Alede concentrated on her breathing. As always when she focused, her fingers caressed the embossed leaves of her betrothal ring, turning it around and around on her finger. Feeling calmer, she dropped her hand and picked up the staff which lay across her lap. Waving it over the bowl of dark water, she muttered a spell of seeing and one of concealing as well. She would keep herself hidden from this dark power for as long as possible.  
  
Before her, the water began to stir and then to change color. Patiently, she waited.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"I hate waiting," Gimli said under his breath. Thranduil ceased pacing for a moment.  
  
"For once the Dwarf and I are in agreement," he snapped. "How could it possibly take this long?" The sun was rising toward midday and Alede was still closeted within Radagast's room.  
  
"Do you think that something could have gone wrong?" Legolas asked, regretting now that he had talked Alede into this.  
  
Radagast shook his head. "Her mother often took an entire night when she was scrying. Alede is more powerful, but. . ." he shook his head and shrugged.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Images shifted before her. She saw a dark tower, partially ruined. The dark smudge of the lava flow that had collapsed some of its walls many years ago was still evident, though it had long since cooled. Part of Alede's mind, the part that was detached from the visions in the scrying bowl, reminded her that Mount Doom had erupted when the famous Hobbit Frodo Baggins had cast the Ring into it.  
  
*But there is neither a dark lord nor a ringbearer this day. So who is it that inhabits the dark tower?*  
  
The first signs of occupants she found were Orcs. Even in her semi trance state, Alede's lips curled. She detested Orcs.  
  
Pulling the magic of the scrying bowl away from the Orcs, she searched onward, trying to penetrate the murky depths. Much dark magic still lingered in Barad-Dûr. It was like smoke from a smoldering fire, embers that could be rekindled if given enough breath.  
  
Sensing a source of power, Alede searched upward. The images in the bowl became cloudier and cloudier as she approached the highest tower. Suddenly the images stopped and through the mist she could dimly make out an immense figure. Red and gold, it gleamed in the murky light. Alede thought she could see enormous wings and massive talons.  
  
The figure suddenly surged to its feet and turned to face west and Alede finally saw it clearly. She gasped in surprise and then in dismay, for she saw clearly the collar and chains that bound the creature.  
  
But as she tried to look more closely, the images were wrenched away from the proud creature and Alede nearly fell forward, she was so disoriented. A pale orb took shape in the bowl.  
  
The face of a woman.  
  
Green eyes stared out at Alede and for a moment the wizardess thought she saw her own reflection. But then she saw the cloud of dark hair around the face and the cruel twist of the red lips.  
  
"Angmar," she whispered.  
  
And then the bowl exploded.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Father, did you hear the strange keening sound each time the magic was invoked?" Legolas asked. He was the one pacing now. Thranduil had given up on it and was clutching the railing as if it were his own impatience which he wished to throttle.  
  
Thranduil turned around, leaning his hip on the rail. "Yes. At first it was a sobbing sound, like that of someone crying. But then it took on a stranger tone."  
  
"Did you not tell me once when I was a child of a creature that keened?" Legolas persisted.  
  
Thranduil shook his head. "I do not recall. I read you many tales. I do not remember all of them. There are many creatures that make a keening sound . . ."  
He never finished the sentence. The wall of Radagast's rooms suddenly blew outward, throwing planks of wood as if they were no more than splinters. A tornado of dust and debris erupted from the broken room. Furniture was scattered everywhere.  
  
"ALEDE!" Legolas shouted, rushing forward, only to be captured and held back by Gimli. Radagast rushed forward as well, but by then Alede had emerged out from under the shattered remains of a table and staggered forward. Legolas cried her name again.  
  
"Keep back," Gimli shouted, struggling with his friend, trying to pull him out of the way of the twisting angry wind. But it was King Thranduil who finally pulled his son to the farthest edge of the balcony.  
  
The tornado seemed to be driven by a purpose. It rushed forward as if to engulf the two struggling Elves, then doubled back on itself as Alede stumbled out onto the balcony.  
  
The wizardess looked terrible. Her face was cut and bruised in numerous places and her fine clothing torn. As she raised her staff, Legolas realized she was furious. She shouted a spell which shoved the twisting wind back, but it quickly regained its position and even seemed to swell in size. Lightning struck out from the vortex and ricocheted off of Alede's staff. Everyone else on the balcony ducked for cover.  
  
"Get out of here," Alede shouted, glancing fearfully at Legolas.  
  
Amazingly, the tornado seemed to realize where her gaze fell and it threw itself at Legolas, ripping up the decking of the balcony as it went and throwing out more bolts of lightening.  
  
Alede screamed two rapid spells, both of which had little effect and tried to interpose herself between the twisting wind and her love. Thranduil and Gimli both tried to drag Legolas over the edge, preferring the drop to the promised death from the tornado.  
  
Radagast tried to rush to his daughter's aid, but it was obvious this magic was beyond him.  
  
Then quite suddenly time seemed to stand still for Legolas. He felt his father's grip on his clothing, felt the rail at his back and Gimli's tight hold on his arm. He saw a look of pure desperation come over Alede's face and then she spoke the most awful words he had ever heard.  
  
Words that he had heard long ago in the Misty Mountains.  
  
"Nuzka a' bleniz kallumbul te wathu shiv'sal!"  
  
Legolas felt as if his insides had turned to ice and his hand came up instinctively to grip the amulet that no longer hung inside his tunic. The spell was the freezing curse that Sildair had put on him all those long years ago. Closing his eyes against the memories that welled up inside him, Legolas froze.  
  
And then he noticed the silence, broken only by the harsh panting of breath around him.  
  
Opening his eyes, he saw the tornado frozen only inches from him. The wind was perfectly still, stopped in its mad whirl as if made of ice. Debris and bits of wood were frozen in it as well.  
  
He let out the breath he had been holding and Thranduil and Gimli released him. Looking around the edge of the tornado, he saw Alede drop her arms and turn to her father.  
  
"A WITCH! AN ANGMAR WITCH!" she shouted furiously. "AND SHE HAS MY MOTHER'S BOOKS!"  
  
Pandemonium ensued.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Several moments passed before everyone calmed down enough to even be heard. Alede had dispensed with the frozen tornado by smashing it with her staff as if it had been so much ice. Mändel had hurried to assure the Elves who had come running to their aid. Legolas tried to have his healer brought to Alede, but she brushed off her injuries as mere scratches.  
  
"I am well," she said, squeezing Legolas' hand apologetically. "But I am furious . . ."  
  
"Is that why you spoke magic in the black tongue?" Radagast asked shaking, his tone both angry and frightened.  
  
"Father, she is a witch from the Angmar Mountains and she has my mother's books!"  
  
"I realize that Daughter." Radagast gripped her shoulder urgently. "But have you forgotten that by invoking dark magic, you send yourself down the path of evil?"  
  
Alede shook her head impatiently, "Father, I used the magic with no evil purpose or intent. I merely wished to save Legolas . . ."  
  
"For which I am very grateful," Thranduil put in, sending his own impatient look toward Radagast. "But I think we stay from the important subject here . . ."  
  
"Nay, we do not stray," Radagast said with unnatural violence. "Alede, by using the dark magic, you invoke the wrath of the Valar!"  
  
"Father," Alede said, trying to control her already frayed temper. "I agree with King Thranduil. The important issue is the witch. We can discuss my use of that spell at a later time."  
  
Radagast did not look appeased, but he allowed Legolas to change the subject.  
  
"What did you see?" the prince asked as he led them all to another portion of the Great Hall that was undamaged.  
  
She told them of her observations of the tower and the Orcs. "There is also a creature imprisoned in one of the top towers. It looked like a griffon."  
  
"A griffon?" several voices asked in astonishment.  
  
"I thought they were nothing but myth," Gimli observed.  
  
"Nay," Thranduil said. "Though I do not expect a child like you to remember them." He ignored the rumbling sound coming from the dwarf. "There were griffons still in Legolas' youth, though not many. It has been assumed that they all passed over the sea. But if there is one still, then that is the source of your keening sound," Thranduil said, giving a nod to Legolas. "They made a sound unlike any other creature. Though none of us should be able to hear it at this distance. Not even I could do that."  
  
"But are not griffons creatures of magic, Father?" Legolas asked. "Could this witch be harnessing its power somehow?"  
  
Alede answered before the King could. "They are magical. But they could not cause the storms and vortexes we have seen. Nor does it explain why we can hear the keening sound . . ."  
  
"By all that is sacred!" Radagast suddenly cursed.  
  
"What is it, Father?"  
  
Radagast shook his head as if chastising himself and turned wearily to Alede. "Years ago your mother compiled a book of green magic and magical creatures. There was a page on griffons or more specifically the magic that could be worked with their tears."  
  
"Their tears?" Alede asked in surprise.  
  
"Yes. The tears of the griffon could channel tremendous power."  
  
"Where is this book?" Legolas asked. "Is it packed among your things or is it what the witch is using?"  
  
"It must be," Radagast said wearily. "It was stolen long ago. When my wife was killed, I went to carry her body home. When I returned, our little cabin had been broken into and much of Malina's things stolen. I always regretted it. Obviously those books have been kept and have now passed into evil hands. I am sorry, Alede. I should have looked harder for them . . ."  
  
"Never mind that," Thranduil snapped. "What do you remember about the Griffon's tears?"  
  
"Nothing really. I just remember seeing it and Malina remarking about it. I never actually read the page."  
  
"Well, the obvious thing now, is for me to set that poor creature free and confront the witch." Alede's suggestion was met with arguments from all sides and soon everyone was in an uproar again.  
  
Legolas would not hear of her going by herself, though Alede insisted that that was the safest plan.  
  
Thranduil loudly stated the opinion that they should mount an assault and march upon Mordor immediately. Gimli favored this idea until he realized just whom it was that he was agreeing with and then he switched tactics and agreed with Legolas' idea to infiltrate the tower with a small stealth force instead.  
  
Alede was against Legolas being involved in any way whatsoever. Radagast and Mändel thought that careful study of their enemy was in order and Cyrus kept shouting for caution.  
  
They finally broke up after Legolas suggested that they discuss the matter the next morning when they'd all had a chance to cool off and think the situation over more clearly. He also sent Mändel to bring in carpenters to begin work on Radagast's splintered domain immediately.  
  
Lifting Alede from her chair forcibly, Legolas persuaded her to stop arguing and dragged her off in the direction of her Culhalla.  
  
"We need to get you cleaned up and I want to have a look at those cuts," he said worriedly.  
  
Alede ignored his concern. "So, when do we leave?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I saw the look you gave Gimli," she said hotly. "You're up to something and I imagine it has to do with sneaking off in the middle of the night with the dwarf. So, when do we leave?"  
  
Legolas gave a sigh as he opened her door and gestured her inside. "I am not comfortable taking you with us," he admitted. "I think a small force can slip into Mordor more easily than an army, but I'll never convince my father or my people of that. Unfortunately Gimli and I can accomplish nothing without your knowledge of magic."  
  
"I know that. So when do we leave?"  
  
"After midnight. Do you want your father to come with us? His knowledge of magic may be useful . . ."  
  
"Absolutely not," Alede said firmly. "My father knows little of green magic. He would be of no help. Besides, I know a spell or two that can hide us from prying eyes. I can conceal three of us, but certainly not a whole passel of people."  
  
Legolas nodded. "I will see about getting supplies for the journey." Alede nodded and he gave her a quick embrace before turning to her bag of herbal medicines.  
  
Under Alede's direction Legolas was able to gently tend her wounds, even if his hands did stray from their job occasionally and he found it necessary to kiss each of her bruises with infinite tenderness.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas slipped down the stairs with care. Gimli, Alede and he had all been very careful to act normally that afternoon and evening so that no one would suspect them of sneaking off, as Alede had put it.  
  
But Legolas was convinced that his course of action was for the best. The delays caused by the others' arguments would no doubt prove detrimental to his kingdom. And obviously his kingdom was not a safe place for Alede. No matter how it worried him to take her with them, he knew that they would have no chance without her. Alede seemed perfectly confident in her ability to deal with the unknown witch, despite the morning's disaster.  
  
The captive griffon that Alede had seen also preyed on Legolas' mind. For a wild creature of such majesty to be at the mercy of a power hungry magician . . . it made his stomach clench with anger.  
  
That the young prince might also just be desirous of an adventure was never mentioned, though Legolas had caught Gimli giving him a few suspicious looks from time to time.  
  
*This is for the good of my kingdom and for all of Middle Earth* he told himself fiercely, concentrating on getting down the long stairs quietly.  
  
Behind him, Alede trod upon the hem of his cloak and whispered an apology. He knew she was having trouble negotiating the stairs in the dark. Legolas was dressed in dark clothing, making it nearly impossible to see him. Rough breaches covered his long legs and he wore a gray jerkin under his Lothlorien cloak. The cloak seemed to blend into it surroundings no matter what their color and with the moon hidden behind sullen clouds it had taken on a charcoal gray hue.  
  
Alede was dressed similarly in a pair of dark gray breaches, long boots and a gray shirt. The travel stained cloak which covered her shoulders had obviously seen many journeys and it was difficult to say if its color were gray or green.  
  
Legolas had been relieved to see that she carried only a small pack over her shoulder and her new staff. He had not forgotten that she had often led a nomadic lifestyle when she was not staying in Rivendell.  
  
They met Gimli at the bottom of the stairs, the dwarf's keen eyesight enabling him to move through the darkness as easily as the Elf. They walked quietly along the path leading east, slipping beneath the tall trees and the quiet homes like ghosts.  
  
Legolas was about to turn and speak softly to his companions, when a black shadow suddenly loomed up in the path ahead of them, completely blocking their way.  
  
The young prince took in a sharp breath as an icy hand of fear seized his heart and the menacing figure spoke . . .  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Ekkk! Now what? Tune in next week when we find out just who or what that thing is!  
  
As always thank you for all the wonderful comments you've given me. :D :D You guys are terrific and I'm glad you enjoyed Legolas on his royal throne last week. ;)  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens. 


	8. Out of Ithilien

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 8 ~ "Out of Ithilien"  
  
"And just where do the three of you think you are going at this hour of the night?"  
  
"FATHER!" Legolas hissed between his teeth. Unable to admit that King Thranduil had probably frightened two or three centuries off of his lifespan, Legolas settled for giving his father a furious scowl as he tried to slow his pounding heart.  
  
No one . . . no one could sneak up on him like his father could.  
  
Behind him, Alede let out a shaky breath. Obviously she had been as startled as Legolas was. Gimli however had still not lowered his axe.  
  
"I did not realize you were coming to see us off, Father," Legolas said, surreptitiously pushing Gimli's axe down.  
  
"If my appearance surprised you, then you will be no match for this Angmar witch. She appears to be equally full of surprises."  
  
"We will be ready for her," Legolas assured him, trying to sound more confident than he felt.  
  
"I hope that is so. And since you are so determined to go ahead with this foolish plan of yours, I intend to go with you to see that it succeeds," Thranduil said sternly. The hilt of his jeweled sword was visible even in the dim light.  
  
Alede and Gimli gave each other alarmed looks.  
  
"Nay, Father, please stay here! Stay and protect my people. They have suffered enough as it is."  
  
"If you wished for me to stay then you should have asked earlier, instead of sneaking off in the middle of the night like an arrant child," Thranduil scolded.  
  
Legolas could think of no reply. His wish for 'sneaking off' had been to avoid the argument which they were currently having. Thranduil still had the ability to make him feel like a naughty child, even after all these years. He did not wish for the King to journey with them, but could think of no legitimate argument to stop him.  
  
Hearing Legolas' uncertainty in his song, Alede jumped into the conversation. "I can easily conceal the three of us from her scrying magic, but I could never conceal an Elf King. Your own power is much too great . . ."  
  
"Do not patronize me, girl!" Thranduil shouted and all three of the adventurers cringed. If their absence had not been noted before, it would be now.  
  
"I do not mean to patronize you," Alede said earnestly. "It is quite true that I would have a difficult time shielding you from her. But there is more to it than that." She paused, looking uncomfortable. "My father will try to follow us once he has figured out where we are going."  
  
"A natural impulse for a parent when their child goes off on a ridiculous tangent," Thranduil observed drolly, flicking disapproving eyes over his son.  
  
"Yes, of course," Alede agreed. "But he must not. My father is a kind and gentle man. But he is not like you . . ."  
  
"Meaning that I am neither kind nor gentle."  
  
"That is not what I mean," Alede snapped, "You lectured me once about the errors of assuming what someone means and now you are doing it to me! This is not the time to play games! Now . . ." Alede blustered to a stop. "What was I saying?"  
  
"Your father?" Thranduil prompted. The look on his face indicated that he was torn between impatience and amusement.  
  
"My father . . . yes . . ." Alede cleared her throat. "He has neither your courage nor your shrewdness. He is not capable of this type mission. I love my father," she said softly, "despite his faults. I need you to stop him from following us. No one can do that but you."  
  
Thranduil paused and Legolas could see his father's hesitation.  
  
"Please, Father," he said. "Stay and protect my people. Do this for me. Because I ask it of you."  
  
Still Thranduil hesitated and then quite suddenly his hands went to his belt and he unstrapped the great sword of Oropher. Lifting it up, he handed it to Legolas. The prince paused for the slightest moment before taking it with shaking hands and buckled it around his own waist.  
  
"Very well," Thranduil said and his voice was strangely hoarse. "But I charge each of you with a promise. You," he grasped Legolas' shoulder, "bring down that fortress and the mechanisms of evil within. See that it never troubles Middle Earth again."  
  
Legolas nodded. "You have my word, Father."  
  
Thranduil turned to Gimli, "And you, Master Dwarf, see to it that my son comes back to me unharmed!"  
  
"That I would do anyway," Gimli replied stiffly.  
  
"And you, Daughter," Thranduil said to Alede, "make certain that that witch does not leave Mordor alive."  
  
Alede hesitated. She had not thought about the outcome of her confrontation with the witch. But if the witch had indeed embraced dark magic, there would be no turning her back. Slowly, she nodded her head.  
  
"I promise, Father."  
  
The King bent down and retrieved a tiny jeweled dagger from the top of his boot and held it out to her. Alede took it solemnly and, stepping forward, placed a kiss upon his smooth cheek. "Guard yourself well," she warned the King. "She may turn her powers toward you if she cannot find us."  
  
Thranduil nodded and turning to his son, placed both his hands upon his shoulders and kissed his brow. Then he gave Legolas a bone-crushing embrace.  
  
"Take care, my son."  
  
"And you, Father."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Well, that was lucky!" Gimli said as he brought up the rear. They followed a narrow track up into the foothills, Legolas picked his way easily through the thick growth ahead of them. "I was afraid that King Pain in the Bu . . ." He broke off abruptly as Alede cast an astonished glance over her shoulder at him and Legolas stopped all together.  
  
Alede nearly ran into her betrothed, but Legolas side stepped her and turned to Gimli with his hands upon his hips.  
  
"What were saying, my friend?" he said in an icy tone, one imperious Elvish eyebrow raised. Alede could see the glimmer of humor in his eyes and feel the bubble of laughter in his song. Gimli did indeed look ridiculous as he tried to get the expression on his face under control.  
  
"Uhm . . . nothing . . ."  
  
"He was just saying," Alede interceded with a grin, "that he would like to stop for a moment so that he might put his foot in his mouth."  
  
Gimli scowled at her and Legolas shot her an amused glance.  
  
"I would be happy to help," Legolas offered wryly.  
  
Gimli grumbled something impolite. With a wink at Alede, Legolas turned and took up the lead again. Alede clapped Gimli companionably on the shoulder and followed the Elf.  
  
They continued on until late afternoon when Alede became nervous about her concealing spell. Her fatigue was beginning to erode the spell and Gimli was stumbling more and more often with weariness. Legolas led them deep into a pine grove where the sun was blocked by the dark sweet needles.  
  
Gimli swung a small cook pot out of his pack and gave Legolas a questioning glance. He also nodded in Alede's direction, though he said nothing. Legolas had noticed the dark circles under the wizardess's eyes as well and nodded back to the dwarf. She had barely had one nights sleep after her long journey before they had set out again.  
  
"Prevent the fire from smoking," Legolas said quietly.  
  
"I am a dwarf, not an imbecile!" Gimli snorted. "Of course I will keep it from smoking."  
  
Legolas chuckled at Gimli's querulous tone. Patting him on the shoulder, he walked past him.  
  
"I will be back soon," he said to Alede. "Take some rest while I hunt. You look weary."  
  
She shook her head. "I am well. Do not be concerned."  
  
"I will always be concerned," he said. "We should have waited. I was a fool to drag you out so soon. You have not yet recovered from your journey. I am sorry, Alede."  
  
"Legolas," Alede began, giving him a patient look. "You did not 'drag' me anywhere. Our quest is an urgent one. I am not some delicate flower that will wilt in the noonday sun. I am tired, that is all. Some food and some sleep will cure it. If we had waited, we would set out with both our fathers in tow, something that I'm sure neither of us wanted."  
  
Legolas gave her a rueful smile. "Nay, the arguing alone would have alerted the witch to our presence."  
  
Alede grinned and gave him a quick kiss. Legolas raised his eyebrows seductively at her. "Tis a shame we will have company tonight." And with those words he melted into the dense forest, leaving Alede feeling weaker kneed than the journey had.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas slid out of the shadows of the forest and into the meadow, moving so quietly and slowly that the fat rabbit dozing in the sun never even knew what happened. Thranduil had taught Legolas to kill cleanly, a lesson he had never forgotten. *  
  
"Do not risk the shot, if you are not certain it will kill instantly," Thranduil had said. "If we must take a life, at least let it be so quick that the animal does not suffer."  
  
Legolas picked up the rabbit and said a quick prayer of thanks to Ilúvatar for the meat that it gave them. That was the second part of hunting that his father had taught him. **  
  
Melting back into the woods, he knelt beneath a tree and skinned and gutted the rabbit. He instinctively knew that the sight of it would bother Alede. He had also seen an aged owl in the tree that he knew would be grateful for the leftovers.  
  
After climbing up and depositing the skin and entrails in front of the ancient bird, Legolas made his way back to their small camp.  
  
True to his word, Gimli had built a hot fire that barely smoked. Legolas could smell it as he approached, but could not see it. Alede might have something to do with that too, he realized. He paused before entering the circle of trees, listening to Alede's voice. Every word gave him pleasure now that she was here and not just a whisper in his mind.  
  
"So if Hobbit Stew does not have Hobbits in it," Alede was saying to Gimli as Legolas approached, "how did it get its name?"  
  
"Well, when Frodo and . . ." Gimli began.  
  
"Frodo? You mean the ring bearer?"  
  
Legolas grinned at the eager tone in her voice, like a child begging to be told a bedtime story.  
  
"Aye," Gimli answered, "when they came through Ithilien, Sam was so concerned about Frodo losing his strength that he made them a stew of rabbit and wild onion. Legolas and I have always carried on that tradition when we travel, just the two of us, through these hills."  
  
Legolas stepped forward until he could finally see his friends. To his surprise, Gimli had taken his shirt off as he sat before the little fire. Alede was kneeling behind him rubbing the dwarf's shoulder and Legolas caught the strong scent of a liniment. He had not realized that Gimli's shoulder was still troubling him, but obviously Alede had noticed for he knew the Dwarf would never mention it.  
  
Feeling like a selfish tyrant for dragging his two best friends off on this quest before they were truly ready, Legolas stepped into the circle of trees.  
  
"I wonder what Elf Stew would consist of?" Alede mused, not yet seeing her betrothed.  
  
Gimli gave a short bark of laughter. "I know not. But I am certain that it would taste very bad."  
  
They both laughed and at the same time, looked up to see Legolas staring down at them with a mock frown.  
  
Alede immediately tried to stifle her laughter, but Legolas could feel it bubbling through her song. Shaking his head in wry amusement, he walked over and added the rabbit to the simmering stew pot. It mattered not one bit that Alede and Gimli might find amusement at his expense. To see them talking together as comfortably as brother and sister made his heart sing.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"What exactly is our plan?" Alede asked after they had finished off the very excellent stew.  
  
"Plan?" Gimli asked with surprise, raising his busy eyebrows.  
  
"You mean we do not have a plan?" Alede asked, astonished.  
  
"Of course we do," Legolas answered, trying to keep his handsome face straight. Alede had much to learn about Gimli's teasing. "Since the griffon is obviously the source of the witch's greatest power, we must free the poor beast first."  
  
"I think that is a job left best to you two," Alede said. "I will go after the witch. I do not want either of you near when I confront her."  
  
Legolas shook his head. "We had best stay together."  
  
Alede was adamant. "You saw how that vortex turned and went after you," she reminded Legolas. "She will do the same again, using the two of you to distract me. It will be best if she thinks I came alone."  
  
Legolas hated to admit it, but there was sense in her words. He could not combat a witch. He might be able to push aside her magic as he had when his kingdom was threatened. But that had been an instinctive impulse to keep his people safe. He was not sure if he could do it to save his own life.  
  
"What will you do?" he finally asked.  
  
Alede looked at the ground uncomfortably. "I do not know. Your father charged me with . . . killing her." She looked up at him, her eyes like emeralds in the firelight. "I do not think that I can. I will try to turn her instead."  
  
"And if that does not work?" he asked quietly.  
  
"I will improvise," she said with a helpless shrug. "How will you and Gimli bring down Barad-Dûr?"  
  
Legolas glanced at his silent friend, meeting the dwarf's coal black eyes over the flames of the fire. "We will improvise."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Wake up little elf," the griffon said as softly as he could. But he was unprepared when the she-Elf to leapt to her feet.  
  
"Sssteady," he hissed quietly, cupping his great wings about her. "You are sssafe for the moment."  
  
She shuddered and looked around her, peering out from under the mat of her filthy hair.  
  
"I will protect you asss much asss I can," the griffon assured her. "But you mussst help me essscape. Then I will take you withhh me."  
  
The she-Elf cowered down upon the cold floor again hardly daring to look up at him. She met his eyes for only a moment, but that was enough time for the griffon to see a flash of yearning, a glimmer of hope. He knew that in the tortures inflicted by the Orcs the hope of freedom must have been given and taken away from her many times. For the little she-Elf to have survived that and still retained the ability to hope was a testament to her inner strength.  
  
Sauron had not broken this one, though he had come close.  
  
"What isss your name, little Elf?"  
  
The she-Elf drew her knees up under her chin, wrapping her arms around her skinny legs. For a moment he thought she would not answer or perhaps she could not answer. But then a tiny dry voice reached his ears.  
  
"Romiël."  
  
There was a pause while the cold wind whistled through the tower.  
  
"I came from the North . . . from the Gray Mountains."  
  
The griffon waited silently, patiently, knowing that it must be painful for her to speak, to even think. After the torture she had endured for so many centuries, he was amazed that she could even form coherent sentences. The First Born had much stronger spirits than anyone could imagine. But he would not push her too quickly. If speaking of her past helped to ease her soul a little, he would hear her out. But then he must persuade her to try and free him.  
  
"My people were traveling to the Havens . . ." her voice fell to a whisper, as if the word were too precious to speak. "I . . ."  
  
But her story was interrupted when the tower door banged open and Zarraweth stormed through it.  
  
"Time for more magic!" she crowed, shoving four Orcs in front of her. They approached the griffon warily. He hissed at them, spreading his great wings over the Elf to protect her.  
  
Zarraweth laughed, an ugly malicious sound. "Ah, is that not sweet? My pet has a pet!" She laughed again. "Seize the Elf!"  
  
The Orcs rushed forward, brandishing spears. With a flick of his great beak, the griffon sent one of the Orcs and his spear careening over the edge of the battlement.  
  
"Beast!" Zarraweth hissed, throwing a holding spell at him. The griffon tried to deflect it, but the wizard within him had become submerged within the consciousness of the magical beast that he had become. He could no longer wield Maia magic. But neither did he submit to magic anymore. It sizzled and slid about his feathers but could find no purchase.  
  
"I am a creature of magic, Zzzarawethhh. You can not bessspell me asss you onccce could."  
  
"Fool!" Zarraweth screamed and this time she threw a flaming spell. It did find purchase and the griffon reared up screaming as his feathers burned. As he writhed in agony one of the Orcs darted in and grabbed the she-Elf out of his protective shadow. Romiël cried out piteously and the griffon shrieked and cursed them, finally turning away in abhorrence as they inflicted their cruelty on her.  
  
"Take your tearsss and be done with her," the griffon snarled at Zarraweth. The witch gleefully levitated two large drops from the griffon's wet face and his feathers stopped smoldering.  
  
"I thank you, my pet," she said with smug malice. "Now, kill the elf," she told the Orcs. "He is growing too attached to it. It could be a problem."  
  
The griffon strained against his bonds, screaming and tearing at the stone beneath his feet, but he could not break the collar.  
  
But his earlier kindness had not gone in vain. The she-Elf, though almost broken from her centuries of imprisonment, had tasted hope once again from the griffon's generosity. While the Orc who held her looked up at the screaming beast, she yanked the cruel knife from his hand and sliced his arm with it. The Orc yelped and lost his grip on her for a moment.  
  
But a moment was all she needed to scuttle under the protective bulk of the griffon, hiding the knife beneath her ragged clothing as she did so.  
  
The griffon lashed out again, killing another of the Orcs. The remaining one fled past Zarraweth.  
  
"Come back here, you filth!" the witch screamed. But as she had her back to the griffon, he hurled a fallen spear at her. It glanced off of her shoulder, throwing Zarraweth to the ground.  
  
She staggered to her feet, staring up at him openmouthed. The manacles obviously had lost all their power on him and she realized as she looked up at the cruel avian face that she would have to kill this creature before it killed her.  
  
Stumbling down the steps, Zarraweth felt as if her perfectly planned world was coming apart.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
As the tower door banged shut, the griffon spat in the direction of the witch, cursing his poor aim. He would kill that woman eventually! Maybe not today, but soon, he promised himself that.  
  
Settling his wings down, he crouched over the shaking form beneath him. Once again his tears poured over her, bathing her wounds. If the witch could see the wealth of tears he wasted on the Elf, she would weep herself.  
  
"You are very brave, little Romiël. Ressst now and recover your ssstrength."  
  
Romiël sank down onto the cold floor, shivering in her misery, but the knife was still inside of her clothing. It was a good strong blade. Strong enough to score the soft gold on the griffon's manacles and perhaps strong enough to pick the lock on the iron collar. But she could not attempt it now. She would need time to rest . . . to heal. Beneath the griffon's ministrations, she slid into unconsciousness.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas lay awake watching the stars turn overhead. Alede lay in his arms with her head pillowed on his shoulder. Gimli snored on the other side of him. Though the night was cold, he had had some difficulty convincing Alede to share his bedroll with Gimli so near.  
  
The dwarf had thought nothing of it, even pointing out to Alede that he and Legolas had slept back to back a few times to keep from freezing. Only then had she sunk gratefully into Legolas' warmth, but not before enquiring if Gimli was warm enough.  
  
Since he was aware of every inch of her pressed to his side and every breath, Legolas knew immediately when she started dreaming. She twitched slightly and mumbled something. The notes of her song, which were barely audible when she was sleeping became jumbled and confused.  
  
Legolas 'listened' at first with amusement at the chaos of her song, but then with growing concern. The dream seemed to be taking on nightmarish proportions.  
  
Alede moved against him and cried out softly in her sleep.  
  
"Alede?" he whispered. "Melui? Wake up. It is only a dream." He clasped the small hand that lay across his chest. "Alede?"  
  
The notes of her song took on an alarming tone. Fear assailed him through their connection and Legolas sat up abruptly, bringing Alede up with him.  
  
"Melui, wake up! It is only a dream."  
  
Alede writhed and whimpered but her eyes remained shut and she was completely unresponsive.  
  
"Alede!" He was shaking her now and Gimli stirred in his bedroll.  
  
"What is wrong?" the dwarf mumbled.  
  
"I cannot wake her," Legolas said, hearing the desperation in his own voice. "Help me, Gimli! I cannot wake her!"  
  
The dwarf sprang to his feet. He had never heard quite that tone from his friend before. But despite all their efforts, they could not wake her.  
  
Far away in a dark tower a witch laughed over a bowl of tears.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Now what is Zarraweth up to??? Chapter 9 coming soon! :D  
  
Angaloth asked a very good question. She wondered if Alede would eventually age like Radagast has. I'm going to say 'no' simply because I don't want her to. (Author's prerogative lol!) But I think Tolkien said that the Maiar were sent to Middle Earth in the form of "old wizened men". I took that to mean that they have always looked old since the Valar sent them there. (If there are any Tolkien purists out there, feel free to correct me.) Alede was born in Middle Earth and is ¼ Elvin, so I'm going to have her retain her youthful looks just as the Elves do.  
  
* I hope this does not offend anyone. I'm a vegetarian, so the idea of Elves hunting seems wrong to me and totally out of character. But Tolkien mentions them hunting a white stag in "The Hobbit". I'm sure tofu was never on the menu in those days! :D So even though I could never eat a rabbit, I'm assuming Legolas would not give it a second thought.  
  
** OK, if Elves do eat meat, I've decided that they probably follow the Native American custom of giving thanks to the Great Spirit or to the animal for giving its life. There! Now, I feel better! lol  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens. 


	9. Dark of the Night

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 9 ~ "Dark of the Night"  
  
Alede drifted in the secure warmth of Legolas' embrace. She had intended to place wards about their tiny camp to protect them from any surprises. It was highly possible that Orcs might be roaming these woods. Thanks to the pace that Legolas had set during the day, they were a good distance from the Elvin lands.  
  
But Legolas had promised to stay awake all night. So after overcoming her embarrassment of sleeping with Legolas in front of Gimli, she had gratefully crawled into his arms and settled down beside him, quickly falling asleep.  
  
Her sleep was not restful though. It was plagued by strange dreams and a woman's voice chanting over and over again. Alede's dream-self tried to make sense of the words, but could not quite hear them. The rhythm, the tone of them sounded familiar though.  
  
My mother's incantations, her sleeping mind decided. The voice was drowned out by a high-pitched keening, a sound of agony and grief that came from an avian throat. Alede twisted in her sleep, trying to reach out to the poor tortured creature.  
  
But suddenly she was wrenched violently from sleep as a powerful gust of wind swept down on them, blowing out the remains of their fire and yanking the bedroll off of them. In the dark, Alede heard Gimli cry out in surprise and Legolas' arms tightened around her. Then suddenly they were lifted from the ground.  
  
Alede screamed and grabbed for Legolas, but the wind was so strong it tore her from his grasp. She tumbled through the frigid air, calling out Legolas' name. Several times she thought she bumped into him or perhaps it was Gimli. Vague shapes loomed up in front of her in the dark. Sometimes the wind carried her over them and sometimes it dragged her through them, scraping her through the branches of trees and against rocks. Desperately, she scrabbled for purchase, trying to catch hold of something, anything.  
  
Orange lights appeared beneath her. Blinking dust and grit from her eyes, she tried to focus on it. But always the wind tumbled her about and she could not get her bearings. An immense object rose in front of her and she threw her arms in front of her in a vain effort to protect her face. But just as she thought she would crash into it, she was tossed under an arch and slammed into an unyielding stone floor.  
  
"Oooh," the sound came out as a groan as Alede slowly rolled over and tried to sit up. Beside her, she saw Legolas and Gimli in equally disheveled lumps. She was just about to ask if they were injured, when a voice spoke.  
  
"How good of you to come visit me."  
  
Alede's head snapped up and she stared into a pair of leaf green eyes surrounded by a cloud of raven black hair.  
  
Wincing with pain, Alede stood up facing the dark witch across a long hall. Torches guttered along the immense walls and standing in a ring about them were at least three dozen Orcs. Alede ignored the Orcs. She could easily deal with them, even without her staff. But the witch before her . . .  
  
She was incredibly beautiful. So much so that Alede's heart ached with envy and she felt shabby and plain in comparison. Beside her, Legolas rose to his feet and the look of astonishment on his face told Alede that he too was surprised by the witch's beauty.  
  
Angrily, Alede turned back to the witch.  
  
"What is your name and what is your purpose? I need not ask you where you are from. It is obvious that you are Angmarian."  
  
"My name?" the dark witch purred. "Surely you must know that it is impolite to ask another witch's name?"  
  
"You'll have to forgive me," Alede spat. "I'm not feeling particularly polite at the moment."  
  
"Tsk, tsk," the witch shook her head and laughed, a tiny silvery sound. "Such manners. And yet I have brought you here as my guests."  
  
"Like the 'guest' you have imprisoned in your tower?" Legolas spoke for the first time.  
  
"I do not know who you mean," the witch replied silkily.  
  
"The griffon. Release him."  
  
"Oh, but I couldn't do that," the witch purred. "He and I are such good friends."  
  
While the witch simpered at Legolas, Alede slowly approached the large table between them. She dare not get too close, but just close enough . . .  
  
"You do have my mother's books!" she shouted after spying several weathered covers written in her mother's spidery script. Darting forward, Alede tried to seize them, but the witch made a gesture at her and spoke a spell. Alede was thrown backwards and dropped to the floor.  
  
She looked up at the witch in amazement. The dark witch carried only a willow wand, yet she had used a very powerful spell. How could it be that it carried so much power and how could someone so young know so much? Alede guessed her to be no more than nineteen or twenty.  
  
The witch laughed at what must have been a very ridiculous look on Alede's face.  
  
"Seize them," she cried suddenly and the Orcs surged forward. Gimli let out a roar and grabbed the first one that reached him and threw him at the wall. Legolas ducked and spun, running to the wall and catching a torch. He succeeded in lighting three of the filthy creatures on fire, before Alede was forced to contend with her own problems.  
  
Without her staff, she could still perform magic, but it was poorly aimed and often went astray of her target. Whirling around, she threw a flaming spell at several of the Orcs and then suddenly found herself suspended in the air. The dark witch below her laughed and hurled her upward toward the ceiling. Alede spoke her own spell to slow her ascent.  
  
It worked and she was able to drop clumsily to the ground. But then a new danger came into the hall. Gimli had managed to grab a spear and Legolas was easily out maneuvering his enemies. The floor of the hall seemed to vibrate and a huge mountain troll stumped into the room. Before Alede could even shout a warning, it swung its enormous club and caught Gimli, sending the dwarf flying against the wall. Alede heard a sickening crunch.  
  
Heedless of her own danger, she rushed to his aid, terrified of what she would find. But before she could reach him a spell caught her, stopping her in her tracks as a wall of ice formed around her. Frantically she beat at the wall with her own spells, but was unable to break through it.  
  
To her horror, she saw Legolas spring toward her only to be brought down by a mass of Orcs. They surrounded him quickly, cutting him off from her view. She thought she saw him go down beneath their weight and then their spears rose and fell and bright blood slid out on the floor beneath their feet.  
  
"NO!!!" Alede felt as if her heart would burst as the word tore out of her throat.  
  
She screamed . . .  
  
And woke up in Legolas' arms.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
It took her a full, disoriented moment to realize where she was. But there was Legolas bending over her, cradling her in his arms, his face drawn with worry but very much alive. Gimli hovered in her vision as well, his beard bristling in his agitation. Behind him their tiny campfire had been fanned to life and bathed them all in its comforting glow. The bedroll was wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her warm.  
  
Alede's hands flew to Legolas' face, searching it for injury, though already she knew that it had only been a dream. She drew in a ragged breath, feeling as if she had just run up a mountainside. There was a roaring in her ears, which she had mistaken for the sound of the battle she had just dreamed, but she slowly realized it was the sound of Legolas and Gimli's songs instead. It invaded her head with the force of a waterfall and she realized that it was their combined song which had pulled her out of the nightmare.  
  
Legolas' lips moved, but Alede could not hear him. She shook her head and he turned to Gimli. The roaring of their song subsided to just Legolas' silky whisper and she struggled to sit up.  
  
"Are you all right, Alede?"  
  
She nodded, embracing him and burying her head against his chest. She reached out and caught Gimli's hand as she sobbed against Legolas. He let her cry, softly stroking her back until she finally calmed.  
  
"You were dreaming. I could not wake you," Legolas said, the worry evident on his face and in his voice.  
  
"She sent a Dream Demon," Alede said shakily.  
  
"A what?" Gimli asked. "I have never heard of that."  
  
"Very few have," Alede said quietly. "Because most never live to tell of it."  
  
"You mean that she could have killed you with that dream?" Legolas asked, his grip on her shoulders panicky.  
  
Alede nodded. "It is an ancient spell. My mother told me about it, though she never used it. It is considered black magic. The dreamer dreams his own death and the shock kills him." She remembered the troll in her dream. It had been lumbering toward her as she had watched the Orcs kill Legolas. No doubt it would have attacked her next. The ice wall that the witch had formed around her would not have stood up to its club.  
  
"This witch must be very powerful," Gimli said nervously.  
  
"Yes . . ." Alede said slowly, remembering details of her dream. "She has the power of my mother's words and she has the power from the griffon's tears. But . . ."  
  
"What is it?" Legolas asked gently.  
  
"She used her name to bind the spells."  
  
Gimli and Legolas exchanged a glance. Obviously the significance of that meant nothing to them.  
  
"For the really difficult incantations, a green witch must sometimes use a name to bind the magic," Alede explained. "That is why witches never give their real name to one who might be an enemy. But this witch used her own name, since she does not have mine."  
  
"What does that indicate?" Legolas asked, offering her a drink from his water skin.  
  
"It means she is young and inexperienced. It means . . . that I know her name."  
  
Zarraweth.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Romiël started awake. But before she could curl into a protective ball, she remembered where she was. The griffon's chest hovered above her, his down fluffed over her as if she were a scrawny egg he wished to hatch. Beneath her were the filthy rags of one of the Orcs he had eaten, a process she had watched without any remorse whatsoever.  
  
But then she had felt nothing for centuries. Hope, compassion, anger . . . they had all disappeared behind the fragile barrier she had erected in her mind. Fear and pain had become her only emotions, causing her to live with little more sentience than a rat cowering in a corner. She ate when the Orcs brought her food and she drank when water was placed in front of her. But other than that she existed in a tiny ball of pain and dread and had taken no notice of her fellow captives for centuries.  
  
She had at first, of course, when they had originally been captured and brought as toys for Sau . . .  
  
*No* She could not even think His name. Even the whisper of it in her mind caused her to go into a shivering, staring mass of flesh that bore no resemblance to the strong she-Elf that had defiantly been dragged into Barad-Dûr.  
  
In those early days, she had shuddered and cried bitter tears over the torture that her fellows had endured. Many of them had died, some at the hands of the Orcs who made sport with them. Some had died after being taken to . . . Him. They had been returned to the cell, staring blindly in front of them with not a mark upon their pale bodies. But . . . they had died.  
  
Countless other horrors she had endured, until she too had lost her will to live, to even think, and pain became her world.  
  
But that fragile little wall in the back of her mind had remained, in spite of all that she had endured, in spite of all the years in darkness. She had once been strong and independent and on the day that the ground had shook and Barad-Dûr had cracked, she had slowly begun gaining back what tiny bit of her strength had remained.  
  
He . . . had not sent for them after that day. Only the Orcs had occasionally tormented them, but even that was rare. And what were Orcs compared to . . .  
  
Blocking the hideous name from her mind, she looked around the cold tower filled with bones of Orcs and discarded weapons. Romiël felt a surge of hope unlike anything she had felt since coming to this hell. Moving slowly, she pulled out the knife she had confiscated and looked at it in the dim light of night. It was strong blade and as she turned it, a pale white light winked off of its surface. Looking up, Romiël saw a sight she had not seen in . . .  
  
The years blurred before her, as did the bright star that winked at her through the tower arches.  
  
*How many centuries have been taken from me!?*  
  
Anger spilled over the little wall in her mind to join the tiny thread of hope. And with it came courage. Wiggling out from under the griffon, she looked up at him.  
  
Even in sleep, he was magnificent, a creature of ancient magic, nearly as old as the First-born themselves. The very sight of his glossy feathers and powerful talons gave her strength.  
  
"Griffon?" she whispered.  
  
He did not wake, but stirred in his sleep, snapping his beak as if plagued by flies. The look on his face seemed slightly comical as he twitched and ground his beak. With a gasp of surprise, a tiny laugh escaped Romiël's lips. She had not laughed for centuries and the sensation felt strange to her.  
  
But if she could escape and help the others to escape . . .  
  
Reaching out a weak hand, she stroked the shining feathers and the griffon awoke.  
  
"What is wrong, little Elf?" the griffon said, raising his head quickly and looking around.  
  
"What happened to . . ." She could not speak the name and wrapped her arms about her legs as the shivering started. Clearing her dry throat, she tried again. "What happened to . . . the one who built this tower?"  
  
"Sssauron was thrown down," the griffon answered and there was pride in his voice. "One of my kind . . . one who isss, asss I once wasss, helped to bring about his dessstruction."  
  
"Then . . ." hope surged so brightly in her breast it hurt, "there is no one to keep me here but Orcs and that woman?"  
  
"Yesss, but that woman isss a witch. Ssshe hasss dark plansss. Ssshe uses usss."  
  
Romiël did not respond to that, but began sawing at the gold manacles around his legs with her knife, trying to score the soft metal enough that they might be broken. If they were no longer there, the witch could not use them for her dark plans.  
  
"Nay. Ignore the manaclesss," the griffon hissed. "I concurred them daysss passst. Work on the one that bindssss my neck."  
  
Shakily Romiël got to her feet and began picking at the lock on the griffon's collar. Because her focus was on the lock, she did not see the look of fierce pride on the griffon's face or know that he admired her for her courage.  
  
The blade was much too big to work into the crude lock, so Romiël abandoned it and went in search of something better. She went down onto her hands and knees, scrabbling in the filth and scraps of armor on the floor. Her fingers closed upon a long spike that once had pierced the nose of an Orc. Rushing back to the griffon as quickly as her weakened legs would carry her, she raised the spike to the lock . . .  
  
And froze as a dark shadow swept in through the arches of the tower. It touched down without a sound and the griffon rose to his feet, throwing out his wings and hissed.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
NOTICE: I will not be posting next Friday, but the Friday after instead. I am so sorry to do that to you, especially with this dark shadow looming down on poor Romiël and the griffon!!! But we're remodeling our kitchen right now, so I haven't had much time to be on the computer. Then last night as I was chatting with my Dad on the phone, I looked up to see water dripping from my ceiling. ARRRGGGGG! So now I've got to call the roofing company, see if our warranty is still good, have them come out, yadda, yadda, yadda . . .  
  
Anyway, I apologize for the delay. I promise I'll post chapter 10 on May 9th. Thanks for being so patient with me. You guys are terrific!  
  
A/N: Giving credit where it's due: Several of you have been kind enough to say that my plots are well thought out. If that is true, then I must give the credit where it is due. It is because of you, dear readers that I try to make the plots well planned. You ask intelligent questions in your reviews, make brilliant deductions and are very astute readers. Because of your vigilance and enthusiastic support I try, not only to keep ahead of you, but also to offer you something that will stimulate your imagination. I meant it before when I said that you are the best readers any author could have and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you whether you post reviews or not. So . . . give yourselves a round of applause! :D :D  
  
Firnsarnien mentioned that these stories are interconnected very well. That is Thecla's brilliance at work. She is a stickler for details and remembers word for word everything I've ever written. If I contradict myself, she catches it immediately and quotes my own previous work at me. lol! Thank God! She keeps me treading the straight and narrow and I would be lost without her! :D  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens. 


	10. Griffon Unchained

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 10 ~ "Griffon Unchained"  
  
Legolas could not help feeling a little excited, even though they were entering Mordor and Alede's song was hardly uplifting. But this was the second time he had ridden on her spell horse and the feeling of flying over the mountains was exhilarating.  
  
Third time, he reminded himself. The first time he had been on her spell horse he had been in no condition to appreciate it.  
  
Other than his excitement about flying, he had little to be happy about though. After Alede had recovered from her dream, he had suggested that she get some sleep, since she was confident her wards would be powerful enough to block any further dream demons. But Alede had refused and he had found out just how stubborn his betrothed could be.  
  
Alede had wanted to fly into Mordor immediately. From her dream it was obvious that the witch knew they were coming anyway, so stealth was no longer an issue. Legolas had not been able to argue that statement, but he thought they should wait until morning. He knew Gimli was fatigued, but dwarves were sturdy enough to go without sleep for a couple of days. Legolas hardly needed it, but Alede did. She might not be mortal, but she seemed to have the same sleep requirements as a human.  
  
Alede however, had staunchly refused and sadly it had been the subject of their first quarrel. It had not been a bitter quarrel. Neither of them had gotten angry or shouted, but still it saddened Legolas that this should be the cause.  
  
*I would much rather quarrel about who is taking up too much of the bed.*  
  
But short of hurting her, Legolas could not have prevented her from going by herself, so he and Gimli clung to the spell horse behind her. True, given what had happened to her, Legolas could understand why Alede had been so adamant. He had been extremely shaken himself to learn that the witch might have killed Alede in her sleep. Had it not been for Gimli's added strength in pulling her back . . .  
  
He shuddered. Best to concentrate on the present and the difficulties ahead of them.  
  
Glancing down, he could only vaguely recognize landmarks. The night was dim, the moon hidden behind scudding clouds. He wished he could rendezvous with his sentinels, but such would not be the case.  
  
Their plan, once Legolas had given in to Alede's wishes - an action which did not bode well for his future, was to land on the tower that Alede had seen when scrying. They would free the griffon during the night. Once the sun came up, Legolas and Gimli would deal with any Orcs. Alede would seek out the witch. She seemed completely confident about dealing with Zarraweth so he had not argued that point. After all, that was why he had wished her to come. But now that the moment was near at hand, he was more nervous than he cared to admit.  
  
Oddly enough, it was Alede's song which comforted him now. She had been blazingly angry after recovering from her fright. Now those notes of furry calmed and she was reaching out to him.  
  
**I am sorry** she whispered in his mind.  
  
**As am I.**  
  
She answered back with a jumble of feelings and thoughts, which Legolas had become adept at sorting out over the years. Alede could not mind speak as clearly as he did, but her inner voice always seemed to make sense to him. Again, she showed him her confidence and he said a silent prayer to Ilúvatar that she was right.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede guided the spell horse down to the dark tower. She had used her strongest concealment spells, but despite that, she was sure the witch Zarraweth knew of their arrival. All witches could 'hear' magic of their own kind. The few times that Alede had visited her distant relations in the Angmar Mountains, she had found it a very noisy place.  
  
Now she could only hope that Zarraweth was too inexperienced to realize just how close Alede was. There was even the possibility that she was asleep. It was three hours before dawn and most intelligent people were asleep.  
  
Alede heaved a deep breath, starting to feel the lateness of the night and beginning to doubt her own intelligence at the moment.  
  
Or at least she took as deep a breath as she could. Gimli's grip about her waist was almost painful. The dwarf had not been the least bit enthusiastic about flying.  
  
The spell horse slipped through the arched pillars of the top tower and touched down without a sound. The griffon surged to his feet, a ghostly shadow in the dark, like an enormous gargoyle come to life. Another shadow slipped away from the griffon, but Alede forgot it as soon as the griffon spoke.  
  
"I felt your presssence, Wizardesss. You have taken your time in getting here."  
  
The spell horse dissolved gently out from under them.  
  
"I am sorry," Alede said with a bow to the noble creature, noticing that Legolas had come to stand beside her, "there was need for secrecy. . ."  
  
"Sssecrecy is wasssted, Alede. Zzarraweth knows you are coming."  
  
"Yes, I . . ."  
  
"How do you know her name?" Legolas interrupted sharply.  
  
The griffon made a choppy hissing sound that they realized was its avian version of laughter. "Alede and I are old acquaintancccesss."  
  
"Old . . ." Alede hesitated and stepping closer to the massive beast, she let her magical senses absorb his vibrations. "I . . ."  
  
Suddenly, Alede stepped back and her voice was sharp. "Maladok?!" she said with disgust, anger radiated through her whole body. First she had been subjected to the dream demon from Zarraweth and now this bumbling old fool was the cause of it. Legolas and Gimli clamored for an explanation.  
  
"You know this griffon?" Legolas asked incredulously.  
  
"He's not a griffon," Alede said, biting off the words. "He's the biggest nuisance in all of Middle Earth."  
  
"I am not what I onccce was, Alede," the griffon stated with more confidence than Alede would have expected from the idiot wizard.  
  
"I am relieved to hear that," she snapped. Turning to Legolas and Gimli, she explained, "Maladok was one of the Maia sent to Middle Earth. His talent was shape shifting," she tossed a venomous glance in the griffon's direction. "But many years ago, he became rather full of himself and started using his powers for his own gain. My father and Gandalf spent much of their time undoing the wrongs that he committed."  
  
"I am no longer that perssson, Alede," the griffon hissed. "Would it not be a better ussse of our time to ssset me free?"  
  
Gimli stepped forward, casting a questioning look at Legolas and Alede.  
  
"Wait a moment, Gimli," Alede cautioned. "How do I know, Maladok that you are not in league with this witch? Your captivity could be a ruse."  
  
But Legolas shook his head before the griffon could answer. "He is not deceiving us, Alede. He is a good creature. I can feel it. I also can feel nothing of the wizard you mentioned. His mind is avian."  
  
The griffon inclined his head. "My thanksss, Elf Lord. It isss true that the witch beguiled the wizard I onccce wasss. It is also true that Maladok onccce caused much harm and cared only for himself and little for othersss. But Maladok is gone. I am griffon now. There isss no wizard."  
  
"Do you mean that you have lost your ability to shape shift back?" Alede asked in surprise.  
  
"I am griffon. I cannot ssshape ssshift."  
  
Legolas nodded at Gimli and the dwarf walked up to the enormous creature with a glance of trepidation.  
  
"I will not harm you, Ssson of Earth."  
  
Gimli set his pack upon the filthy floor and pulled out a file, setting to work on the manacles and the collar with a will. As he worked, the griffon informed them of the witch's plans.  
  
"Men will come from the sssouth to buy Sssauron's dark magic. Zzzarraweth is building an empire of wealth for herssself."  
  
"Is that her only motivation?" Alede asked, noticing as she did so that Legolas had left her side and was prowling around in the dark corners of the tower. She was sure that he was still listening, but still she wished he had stayed close.  
  
"Zzzarraweth thirstsss for power and recognition. Ssshe isss young and arrogant."  
  
"What are her weaknesses?" Alede asked.  
  
"The sssame as my own onccce were. She thinksss very highly of herself."  
  
"Alede!" Legolas' astonished whisper turned her around. He gestured to her urgently. "There is an Elf here who needs your help."  
  
"Ssshe isss called Romiël and hasss been a prisoner here for many centuriesss," the griffon informed them. "Come out little Elf. These people mean you no harm."  
  
As the she-Elf crawled cautiously out of her dark corner, Legolas thought that he might be ill. He had witnessed much cruelty inflicted by Orcs, but this was worse than anything he had ever seen. She limped as she rose to her feet, the toes of her left foot missing, her right arm twisted at an unnatural angle where it had been broken and healed wrong. There was more . . . so much more that he could hardly bear it. He felt the shock of Alede's surprise and revulsion through their song and the flood of her compassion.  
  
The healer rushed forward and the she-Elf shrank back, shaking from head to foot in fear.  
  
"I will not harm you," Alede said hastily when the Elf would have bolted. "I am a wizardess and a healer and if you have heard our conversation, then you know that I am an enemy of the witch." She held out her hand to the Elf, but Romiël still shied from it. Her eyes sought out the griffon in the darkness.  
  
Behind them the sounds of filing stopped and Gimli grunted. The iron collar fell to the floor with a solid thunk. A few moments later the two gold manacles fell away as well. The griffon spread his wings and arched his proud body. With great majesty he strode over to the she-Elf and sat down behind her, his great tail wrapping around his body like a sleek cat.  
  
"Romiël," he said soothingly, "Alede isss a ssskilled healer and a daughter of the Maiar. Allow her to comfort you and then I ssshall keep my promise and take you away from this place of horror."  
  
Romiël scooted back until her shoulder blades rested against his front legs, supporting her aching back. She looked up at Alede, trying desperately to hang onto that small thread of hope and courage that she had found before.  
  
"You . . . you will not harm me, will you?"  
  
Romiël could not possibly know the knot of anguish those words brought to all who heard them.  
  
"I will not harm you," Alede said gently, reaching out and finally taking the woman's hand. "The horror you have endured is over. It is time for you to begin healing. I promise I will help you."  
  
The she-Elf looked up into Alede's eyes and felt that she might be able to trust her. "There are . . . others in the dungeon. My brother . . . Romion."  
  
Legolas reached out a gentle hand. "I will free them Lady. You have my promise as well."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They rested in the upper tower until the sun began to peek above the horizon. They had all agreed that Romiël must sleep before the griffon took her to Ithilien, she needed all the strength her frail body could muster.  
  
Alede had tended what wounds that she could on Romiël. Many of them were so old there was little to be done. She had some ointment in Ithilien that might help the scars to fade and the arm could be re-broken and set correctly, but some of the wounds . . .  
  
She shook her head in disgust from where she watched the she-Elf. How anyone could do to her what had been done . . . Orcs were horridly cruel. So cruel a normal mind could not even fathom it.  
  
Alede knew that the Elf's mind was probably quite damaged from her centuries of torture. But for her to have survived and still be as lucid as she was showed incredible strength of will. Alede wondered if through sharing song, she might be able to help her recover. She would have to ask Legolas once they were home. He had once cured Gimli that way.  
  
Legolas had given Romiël his bedroll and they'd helped her to wash the dirt from her face and hands. Romiël had gone limp and starry eyed when Alede had regretted that they could not provide her with warm water for a bath until they reached Ithilien. A hot bath was probably a forgotten memory.  
  
As the sun turned the sky pink, Alede rose and walked over to Romiël where she lay curled at the griffon's feet.  
  
"It is time to go," she said gently.  
  
Romiël started awake, but then blinked up at Alede in relief.  
  
"I . . . may leave?" she asked with pitiful hope in her voice.  
  
Alede nodded and Legolas came to stand beside her. He looked up at the griffon. "Take her to Ithilien. My kingdom is between the great bend in the Anduin and the Ash Mountains, but not as far south as the Poros River." The griffon nodded and knelt so that Romiël could clamber upon his back while Legolas steadied her. Gimli had fashioned a harness so that she could hang on better.  
  
Legolas reached up, circling her slender ankle with his hand. "I will free your people," he said softly. "Do not be afraid in my kingdom. My healer is Galomir. He will treat you with kindness. You are no longer a prisoner, Romiël. Remember that."  
  
Romiël nodded her head and looked down at them, blinking back tears. "Thank you," she whispered.  
  
"I will return," the griffon said, looking down at Alede. "I have businesss with the witch."  
  
"No," Alede shook her head. "I would rather you did not. Stay in Ithilien. Your presence will be of comfort to Romiël and I would rather you were as far from Zarraweth as possible. She might attempt to enslave you again."  
  
The griffon gave her a piercing gaze. "We ssshall sssee. Farewell for now, daughter of Radagassst."  
  
The griffon turned his great body and strode to the battlements. He leapt upon the stone with feline grace, balancing easily.  
  
"Ready, little Elf?"  
  
"Yes," came her painfully frightened, yet eager voice.  
  
He spread his huge wings and with a mighty leap, dropped off of the heights. Legolas, Gimli and Alede rushed to the edge and watched as the griffon caught a thermal and effortlessly swooped up into the brightening sky. A fierce avian call echoed out across Mordor as the griffon disappeared toward the west.  
  
Legolas held his breath until they were out of sight.  
  
Alede turned reluctantly away. "Well . . . let us attend to the business at hand. I believe you two have Elves to rescue and a tower to bring down. And I . . ." she threw back her cloak and took a tighter grip on her staff. "I have a witch to hunt."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They encountered Orcs almost immediately as they crept down the tower stairs. Either the beasts had been attracted to the sound of the door splintering beneath Gimli's axe or they were retiring to some part of the tower at the end of their shift. No one would ever know because the seven Orcs died immediately.  
  
Alede cleared her throat after the very short battle. Her eyes shown with admiration and pride. "You two fight very well together, don't you?"  
  
Gimli gave a snort of laughter and Legolas returned her look with a predatory grin and a wink.  
  
They met more Orcs as they descended, but none of them lived, no match for the trio. It took them a long time, with much backtracking to finally find the great hall. There were gaps in its ceiling where it had cracked when Mount Doom erupted and obviously the current occupant had not tried to fix them.  
  
The great hall was deserted, save for rats scuttling about. Bones littered the floor along with bits of armor and other pieces of questionable origin. All of them tensed, feeling uneasy.  
  
"The witch is nearby," Alede whispered to them. She was scanning the hall. Its layout was much like her dream had been, though the real hall was not so grand. It had the look of decay. She did not want Legolas and Gimli in this room, not with the witch so close. But she was also reluctant to send them out of her sight. What if the witch found them first before Alede found her?  
  
"There is something else nearby," Legolas answered. He turned his head, trying to catch an elusive scent. The squeaks of the scuttling rats gave confusion to another sound which he tried to identify. They moved slowly about the vast room and Legolas peered cautiously into a dark corner.  
  
Suddenly he gave a cry of warning.  
  
"Troll! Beware!"  
  
Alede turned just in time to see an enormous mountain troll step from behind a pillar and swing its great club at Legolas.  
  
She screamed as it made contact.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Far away in Ithilien, Radagast the Brown and King Thranduil stood squared off at each other in the middle of the pathway that headed toward the Ash Mountains.  
  
"I am warning you, King Thranduil," Radagast said, his beard bristling with fury, "I am going to rescue my daughter. If you do not get out of my way, I will curse you!"  
  
The Elvin King drew himself up to his full height, his eyes glittering as coldly as the golden circlet upon his brow. "You would not dare!"  
  
"I would!" Radagast declared stubbornly.  
  
Thranduil folded his arms defiantly across his chest. Shaking his head regretfully, Radagast raised his staff and shouted a spell.  
  
All of Ithilien echoed with the King's howl of outrage.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Thank you for being so patient last week!! I'm sorry to have deserted you!!! Find out what happened to poor King Pain in the Butt in chapter 11 coming Friday. :D  
  
And special thanks to Thecla for a fabulous re-write on several sentences and a great suggestion. :)  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens. 


	11. Romiël

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 11 ~ "Romiël"  
  
Though the flight from Mordor took a little over an hour, Romiël was shaking with fatigue by the time the griffon circled the Elf kingdom in Ithilien. At some point during the flight, she had wrapped a loose end of the harness around her arm so that if she fainted, she would not fall. In spite of the horrors she had survived, the desire to live and recover from her ordeal burned fiercely in her heart.  
  
Despite her fear of falling, the flight over the Ash Mountains and the lush forests of eastern Ithilien had already begun some emotional healing. The air was cold aloft, but not so cold as the stone dungeons of Mordor. The sun shown upon her back and the clean air surged into her lungs.  
  
Romiël thought that there was little else in Middle Earth that could make one feel as free as riding upon the back of a griffon.  
  
The feathers of his upper body were white, edged with pure gold. The damage done by the witch had already mended itself, the dark magic unable to keep a hold on the magical creature. The feathers glinted brightly in the sun. His back and hind legs were a deep russet color, the fur smooth and sleek. A long feline tail flowed out behind him. The breadth of his wings was greater than the height of four Elves and they stroked through the air with confidence and ease. He was truly the most magnificent creature Romiël had ever beheld. Even her dim memories of Unicorns paled in comparison to this mighty creature.  
  
"Beleg Soron," Romiël whispered. *Mighty eagle*  
  
Maladok the arrogant, bumbling, fool of a wizard was gone forever.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The griffon circled the Elf kingdom and cried out a fierce avian scream that sent Elves scurrying out of their dwellings and looking up at the sky. His sharp eyes easily penetrated the leafy canopy. There was no place wide enough for his great wings to land, so he chose instead a rocky outcropping and back winged carefully, that he might not jar his passenger.  
  
"Are you well, little Elf?" he asked as claws and talons gripped the craggy granite and he folded his wings against her legs.  
  
"Yes . . . that was magnificent. You are magnificent . . ." To Romiël's horror tears welled up in her eyes and she could not stop herself from crying. "I am sorry," she choked.  
  
"Do not apologize, little Elf. You have endured pain and torment that would have felled ssstrong warriors. Allow yourself to grieve for what you have sssuffered."  
  
Elves were already climbing toward them and Romiël wiped a dusty hand across her face, smearing the tears there. She unwound the harness from her arm and tried to sit up straighter, but fatigue made her limbs tremble and by the time the tall golden haired Elf reached them, she was close to fainting.  
  
She focused on his breathtakingly handsome face as she tried to keep herself upright.  
  
"I am Romiël, daughter of Romedon who was Keeper of Horses in the Northern Realm. I have been a prisoner in Mordor these past seven hundred years until I was freed by the griffon." Her voice was little more than a croak by the time she finished, but at least she had gotten her speech out.  
  
Astonishment and concern shown in the Elf's beautiful twilight colored eyes and then he bowed to her.  
  
"I am Thranduil, Son of Oropher, King of Eryn Lasgallen."  
  
Romiël nodded to show that she understood, but then the world seemed to close down upon her and she felt herself falling. Warm hands and strong arms caught her and held her secure. Romiël gave in to the darkness.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Thranduil paced impatiently outside the hallway of the healer's rooms in the Great Hall.  
  
"Any news about Alede and Legolas?" Radagast asked, slightly out of breath as he puffed up the stairs.  
  
"Nay. Do you not think that I am as anxious for news of them as you, Wizard?" Thranduil snapped.  
  
"You need not shout," Radagast said offended, drawing himself up. They were still furious with each other after their argument and neither had backed down. Radagast was chafing at his confinement. Thranduil would not allow him to leave the kingdom and he was very irritated at his daughter for asking such a promise of the stubborn elf. But at least Radagast was trying to be civil.  
  
Thranduil on the other hand . . . Radagast watched with amusement as the King of the Greenwood scratched irritably at the beard the wizard had cursed him with. It was a rather fine beard, neat and nicely trimmed, but Thranduil did not seem to appreciate it. Despite the King's fury, Radagast had no intention of removing it until his wishes had been satisfied.  
  
"As it happens," Radagast said rather smugly, "I do have news. The griffon is actually an old friend of mine. He was once a wizard named . . ."  
  
"I do not care if the griffon was your grandmother," Thranduil roared. "What news does he have?!"  
  
"Alede and Legolas reached Mordor safely and were intending to engage the witch and what ever Orcs they found early this morning."  
  
Thranduil waited. "Is that all? Do you know nothing else?" he finally asked impatiently.  
  
Radagast shrugged. "He confirmed that the witch was indeed from the Angmar Mountains. She was an outcast from her people because of her greedy ways and that is where she bespelled my old friend. She was using his tears, or rather the griffon's tears to gain power and wealth.  
  
"It also seems that she has been behind the items of black magic that have been leaking out of Mordor. Apparently her mother began looting the ruins of Mordor not long after the Dark Lord's fall and passed the skill on to her daughter. That's probably how the Faerie Goblet found its way into the hands of a trader. There is one more thing." Radagast nodded toward the door. "The she-Elf was not the only prisoner in Mordor. Apparently there were more of her people there and Legolas pledged himself to free them."  
  
Thranduil eyed Radagast in stony silence for several moments before he finally spoke. "You just may get your wish after all, Wizard."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Romiël lay back in the warm bed and allowed herself a sigh. She could almost think herself happy as she lay among the clean linens with a nightdress of the softest silk caressing her frail body. She had been fed, bathed and her wounds tended by a gentle healer. He had even assured her that if Legolas had promised to rescue her brother and the others of her clan, then it was as good as done.  
  
Closing her eyes, she let herself drift, trying to allow nerves that had been stretched to breaking for so long to finally relax. Outside her window birdsong lulled her into a state of calm, assuring her that the nightmare was over, she was safe . . .  
  
Orcs and blood and knives flickered against the insides of her closed eyelids, screams echoed in her ears and Romiël sat up with a gasp as someone entered her room.  
  
"I am sorry," King Thranduil said as he approached the bed. "I did not mean to startle you."  
  
She shook her head. "Nay, twas not you. I . . ."  
  
"Had a nightmare," Thranduil said gently.  
  
She nodded and looked down at her hands clasping and unclasping themselves upon the soft blankets.  
  
Romiël felt horribly uncomfortable beneath the King's bright eyes. Once she would have thought herself equal to any king, even Oropher's impetuous son. Her family was not of nobility, but Romiël had prided herself in her skills as a rider and a hunter. She had been so proficient with the bow that the Lord of her clan had begged her to ride at the front of his hunting party.  
  
But that was long ago and the Elf maiden who used to playfully outrun her brother could barely walk across a room now. The toes of her undamaged foot curled with embarrassment. Elves found physical deformities repulsive.  
  
Once she might have tossed her bright hair and thrown King Thranduil a cheeky smile, but now she could only cringe under his scrutiny.  
  
"May I?" Thranduil asked quietly, gesturing toward the chair beside the bed. He was rather astonished by the she-Elf's appearance. The petite she- Elf before him, with wheaten colored hair, bore no resemblance to the filthy, raged creature that had fallen off of the griffon and into his arms.  
  
Her face was finely sculpted, haggard by starvation and torment, but the bones bore testament to the beauty that had once existed in her features. He could see that she was uncomfortable by his gaze, yet there was a defiant tilt to her small chin. The amount of courage and shear force of will that this woman had astonished him, nothing else could have allowed her to survive Mordor with this much of her soul intact.  
  
Romiël looked up at him with soulful gray eyes and nodded, indicating that he might take the chair. He sat down with infinite care, as if she were a wild creature that might suddenly vanish should he move too quickly. He took one of her hands in his own since she continued to pluck at them. It was surprisingly warm, considering how frail it looked.  
  
"The nightmares will be with you for quite some time," he said gently, absently stroking her rough skin with his thumb. "I cannot cast them away for you, but I will help you all that I can."  
  
Romiël looked up at him in surprise, wondering if she were delusional. She had known so much pain and despair and now this golden haired king sat stroking her hand, compassion filling his beautiful eyes.  
  
"My people suffered much from Orcs," Thranduil explained. "I am sadly familiar with the types of torture they prefer to use. I am also familiar with the methods for healing wounds of the mind. But it will take a long time, Romiël. You have a difficult journey ahead of you."  
  
She shuddered slightly. She was so tired that even healing sounded exhausting.  
  
Thranduil patted her hand. "Do not worry. You are safe here and you will heal at your own rate. I will not pressure you, but I will help you."  
  
"And . . . my brother and the rest of my people?" she asked timidly.  
  
"Aye, once they arrive we will help them as well. Now what can you tell me of my son, Legolas?"  
  
Romiël told him what she remembered, though she had nothing to add that he had not already heard.  
  
Thranduil rose. "I thank you for your information and will leave you to rest now. Have no fear."  
  
"Thank you," she said softly and then when he was at the door, she called out, reluctant to have him leave. Something about him had bothered her since she first met him and she stumbled to put it into words. "Your Majesty? I . . . May I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Have I been out of the world for so long that Elves have changed? In my time, no Elves wore beards. Yours is very fine, but still . . ."  
  
Thranduil glowered and she thought he was just as handsome even when he was scowling, though rather intimidating.  
  
"Nay, Elves have not changed. Neither have wizards," and with those cryptic words he departed.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Thranduil strode into the study where Mändel was going over the day-to-day business of the kingdom.  
  
Mändel stood as soon as he saw the determined look on his former king's face.  
  
"Assemble a rescue party to go to Mordor," Thranduil barked. "Legolas will be bringing people from the prisons. They will need help. Assemble healers and also the best warriors."  
  
"Aye, my Lord," Mändel said. "Shall I lead them, Sire?"  
  
Thranduil shook his head. "Nay. I will lead them, as I should have days ago. And now summon that dratted wizard to me!"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*Have no fear . . . have no fear . . .*  
  
Romiël repeated the words over and over like a litany, but they gave no comfort. She snapped her eyes open, looking nervously around at the bright sunlight streaming onto the floor of her rooms. It was early afternoon, she could hear the sounds of the kingdom going on around her, all sounds that centuries ago would have seemed comforting and normal.  
  
But now . . . tears leaked down her face. Everything was tainted by what had happened to her in Mordor. Deep in her mind, in the part that she had kept sheltered from the fear and madness she had endured, she knew that she must face her fears. If she were to ever have any peace of mind or self- respect, she must concur that which had terrified her. Her body and soul begged her reconsider the reckless idea that had come to her mind as she lay in the soft bed, but she knew that she must.  
  
Shakily pulling herself out of the bed, she stepped out onto the balcony, blinking painfully in the dappled sunlight and gave a soft beseeching cry.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Thranduil did not stop to examine why he was returning to the she-Elf's chambers. He could have sent a servant to tell her that he was marching to Mordor himself, to help her people . . . and of course to help his own son.  
  
But for reasons he chose not to examine, he went to her room himself. The sight that he found after softly knocking and then opening the door was not at all what he expected.  
  
Romiël stood upon the balcony, her nightdress hiked up to her thighs as she tried to pull herself over the rail of the balcony. Since the drop below it was only a few feet, Thranduil did not fear for her life. But her behavior was very strange.  
  
"And just where do you think you are going?" Thranduil asked, irritated that he had used those same words only a few days ago. Was everyone going to sneak away?  
  
She turned to face him. "I am returning to help my people," she said, her shoulders thrown back defiantly.  
  
Or at least as defiantly as her twisted and abused body could manage. Thranduil winced as the merciless sun outlined her painfully thin form beneath the shear nightdress. Scars crisscrossed her skin like lines upon a map, her ribs jutted out severely enough that he could count them, one leg was twisted, as was one arm and the toes had been cruelly hacked off of one foot.  
  
For a people who prided themselves on their physical perfection, Thranduil should have been repulsed by the mangled body before him, but instead he could only admire the courage and determination that shown in her eyes. Sauron should have beaten that courage out of her centuries ago, but somehow it had survived. Romiël was a woman of extraordinary strength.  
  
Romiël obviously became uncomfortable under his intense gaze.  
  
"If what you see repulses you, then I suggest you look away."  
  
Thranduil's eyes snapped up to her proud face. "It does displease me," he said frankly and she stiffened. "It displeases me," he continued, "that one so fair and brave has suffered so greatly. Your wounds are hideous, that is true, but you are not."  
  
Romiël blinked in surprise. She had expected veiled looks of revulsion and dissembling words, but not this frank appraisal. She felt as if Thranduil had examined her soul and found it strangely to his liking.  
  
"In my day," she replied after careful thought, "the king of Mirkwood was not known for such pretty words."  
  
A smile curved the corner of Thranduil's mouth. "Nor is he today."  
  
She was disconcerted again and did not know how to answer him. She had spoken more in this one day than she had in the last century.  
  
"I must return to M . . . Mordor . . ."  
  
"By crawling over the balcony? There is a perfectly good door."  
  
Romiël gestured at the ground and as Thranduil came closer, he saw the magnificent form of the griffon walking toward them, his wings tightly folded against his body as he walked between the trees.  
  
"The griffon will take me back," Romiël said.  
  
Thranduil shook his had curtly. "Nay, my lady, I forbid it."  
  
Romiël's head came up again. "Am I a prisoner here, as well?" she asked, her gray eyes losing their dullness and sparking with life.  
  
"Nay, but you are not yet well. I am going to Mordor myself. We march upon my orders. I only came now to tell you of my plans. I will see to it that your people are delivered here safely."  
  
"I . . . thank you," Romiël began, "but I still must go."  
  
"But why?" Thranduil asked, stepping out onto the balcony with her, ignoring the griffon who rustled irritable feathers at him.  
  
"I must . . ."  
  
"Ssshe must faccce her fearsss," the griffon answered for her, his great beak swinging up to the king so that they were eye level.  
  
Thranduil snapped him an irritated look. "I did not ask you," he said. Turning back to Romiël, he gently cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Is what the griffon says true?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
Thranduil examined her face for several moments, looking into her gray eyes for any sign of a death wish, but instead he saw only ghosts and a strong desire to be whole once again.  
  
Releasing her, he stepped back. "I do not like this, it is foolish. You are weak and have taken little rest."  
  
"I will never rest until I concur that which concurred me. At least let me face Mordor once again as a free woman and help to make my people free as well."  
  
Thranduil hesitated. What she wanted to do could very well kill her. But the demons of her mind, might kill her just as well, only much more slowly. "Very well. But do not place yourself in danger. Comfort your people once Legolas has freed them, but do not approach the tower. Will you promise me that?"  
  
Romiël hesitated. In truth she knew that in her weakened condition there was little that she could do. But she had to return if only to shake her fist at the cold stone and see her brother walk out of it.  
  
"I promise," she said softly.  
  
"Good. Then allow me to have clothing found for you."  
  
Romiël looked down in surprise. The nightdress was more clothing than she had had in ages. She shook her head. "I do not wish to wait. My courage is very thin. If I wait . . ." She shrugged painfully and shook her head.  
  
Scowling, Thranduil's hands went to the elaborate broach that clasped his cloak. Pulling it free, he settled it around Romiël's shoulders and lifted her onto the back of the waiting griffon as if she weighed no more than a feather.  
  
"See to it that she comes back safely," he said to the griffon. Romiël looked down at Thranduil one last time and then with a mighty leap, they were gone.  
  
Thranduil shook his head at this folly. He should have stopped her, even if it did mean making her a prisoner, but it would have been for her own good. Was he becoming too soft, so easily swayed that he did not look to the welfare of the people under his protection?  
  
However the words that he mumbled to himself a moment later revealed that it was not empathy alone that had made him give into the lady's wishes.  
  
"Why is it that women did not charge about the countryside in their nightdresses when I was in my youth?"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: And now we need to get back to Legolas. :D I believe that the mountain troll had just swung his club at our hero Elf. Find out what's happening as the battle in Mordor continues with chapter 12 "The Female of the Species".  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens. 


	12. The Female of the Species

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 12 ~ "The Female of the Species"  
  
Alede screamed as the great club wielded by the troll arched down toward Legolas. But instead of smashing him to pieces, the Elf nimbly caught it and rode the club high up into the air. At the peak of the swing, Legolas let go, allowing the momentum to send him flying toward an ancient chandelier. He somersaulted in mid air and landed with cat-like grace amidst the moldering tallow.  
  
Alede blinked and permitted a shaky breath to escape her before turning her attention to the Orcs that had poured into the hall with the troll. Gimli caught her eye just before he launched himself into the fray, the look on his face clearly indicated that Legolas' stunt had terrified him as well.  
  
*I will never get used to Elves!*  
  
Not willing to let the horrible events in her dream come true, Alede set on the Orcs with a will. A simple green spell easily set them on fire and she applied it with enthusiasm. Gimli would not go down this time.  
  
Safely perched on the chandelier, Legolas had an excellent view of the battle. He watched Gimli roll out of the way of a flaming Orc and saw Alede wielding her staff with deadly precision. The befuddled troll was still examining his club, apparently puzzled by the lack of elf-splat on it.  
  
Legolas drew his father's sword from the hilt. A sword was not his favorite weapon, but the mighty sword of Oropher still gave him a thrill of excitement and pride as it rang free of its scabbard.  
  
Moving to the edge of the chandelier, Legolas leaped, landing nimbly on the troll's beefy shoulder. Before the creature could reach up to swat the Elf away, Legolas drove the sword deep into the side of its filthy neck. Leaping free of the gout of blood that gushed forth, Legolas jumped out of the way as the troll fell to the floor.  
  
Its death throes did not last long and Legolas had just started to turn away when something caught him and nearly slammed him against the stony wall. But he never made contact.  
  
Instead, a cushioning of green magic stopped his mad flight and he dropped lightly to the floor. Picking himself up, he turned to see Alede bristling with fury as she faced a woman with dark hair across the hall.  
  
"Zarraweth," Alede said with more calm than she felt.  
  
The witch's arrogant smile faltered for a moment. "How do you know my name? Oh . . ." she said, answering her own question with an irritated sniff. "I suppose that idiot Maladok told you. I assume you set him loose, didn't you?"  
  
"We did," Alede answered readily enough. "But that is not how I learned your name. Your little dream demon backfired, Zarraweth. You used your own name to bind the magic. Very foolish of you, and . . ." Alede lowered her voice to a menacing growl, "very amateurish as well. I suggest you give up your dark plans and come with me back to Angmar. We will go before their council. I am sure they can find a more productive use for your magic."  
  
"Like they did before?" Zarraweth shrieked. "When they cast my mother out? If not for the goods here in Mordor, we would have starved!"  
  
"I am sorry for what happened to you, but . . ." Alede never had a chance to finish the sentence. Legolas had been watching the dark haired witch closely and as she argued with Alede she was stealing closer to the books which lay scattered upon an old table. As Zarraweth reached surreptitiously for one of those books, Legolas let an arrow fly. It struck her hand, knocking the book to the floor and sending an inhuman screech from the witch.  
  
Alede whirled in amazement. She still had not forgotten the enchanted expression Legolas had had on his face in her dream. But the reality was nothing like that. The Elf was obviously furious and not the least bit enthralled with Zarraweth.  
  
"Her heart is as black as an Orc's, Alede!" he shouted to his betrothed. "I can feel her hatred. She will not turn from her black magic." Suddenly he fitted another arrow to the string, but before he could loose it, Alede turned, hurling a devastating spell at Zarraweth. Her magic sent the witch flying back and blasted a hole in the rock wall.  
  
Zarraweth countered with a dark curse, which Alede deflected. But Zarraweth had drawn an encircling spell around her, protecting her where she stood clutching her injured hand. Sparks of magic skidded off of the encircling and spattered all around the room.  
  
"GO!" Alede shouted when she saw Legolas hesitate. "Get out of here! Leave her to me!" The further he was from Zarraweth and their ricocheting magic, the happier she would be. The Orcs were dead or gone. There was nothing to prevent he and Gimli from going in search of the imprisoned Elves.  
  
Zarraweth singed her while her attention was divided. With a very unladylike curse, Alede ran forward. Her magic might not be able to penetrate the witch's encircling spell, but her fist could and she slammed it into Zarraweth's chin, sending the witch sprawling.  
  
Alede heard a bark of surprised laughter from Gimli, but she had no time to glance at him. Her hands were full with the witch. Because she did not look up, she did not see the anguished look that Legolas sent her, but she felt it before Gimli dragged his friend toward the dungeons.  
  
Alede would have been no a match for a warrior, but her fighting skills were well ahead of this spoiled witch. Elrohir and Elladan had sparred with her on many occasions when she was a child and her skills with a quarterstaff were unsurpassed. She wielded her new oaken staff with painful precision.  
  
They hurled magic even as they hurled blows. Zarraweth tried several times to rake her fingernails over Alede's face, but the wizardess was having none of that. She used her staff to send Zarraweth staggering back under a sharp blow to her face. Blood poured from her nose and with an enraged shriek, the witch hurled herself back at Alede.  
  
They traded spells again, fierce enough to rock the foundations of Barad- Dûr. Down below in the ancient dungeons, seventeen Elves rose shakily to their feet and listened in fearful silence.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas' skin crawled with disgust as they crept lower and lower into the bowels of Barad-Dûr. Evil dripped from the ceiling as thick as the slime that coated the walls. The air was fetid and hot, rank with the stench of sulfur fumes from the volcanic vents beneath the foundations. Shadows crawled and flickered at the edges of his vision.  
  
To make matters worse, his distinct dislike of caves, a dislike that bordered on phobia, was kicking in. Stopping to wipe nervous sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve, Legolas had to force himself to move forward once again.  
  
Something winged and foul smelling caused him to duck and curse, but then Gimli's hand was upon his arm calming him.  
  
"Easy lad," the dwarf said softly and Legolas knew that Gimli sensed his fear. "Twas just a bat."  
  
Legolas nodded, though once again he had trouble getting his feet to move. The dark presence of Sauron still lingered in these dank halls like mold on the walls, shaking the Elf to his core.  
  
"Think of Alede," Gimli whispered.  
  
Legolas heeded the advice. Reaching out, he touched a mind so full of blazing fury and courage it was like looking into the sun. Though her battle with the witch continued the atmosphere of Barad-Dûr was obviously not affecting her. Legolas stood up straighter.  
  
"I have always said that the female of the species is the more vicious." Gimli chuckled, the sound seeming unnatural in the humorless place. "Alede is as angry as a wet hobbit, right now, isn't she?"  
  
"You hear her song?" Legolas asked in surprise. He thought that the dwarf only touched her mind when linked with his.  
  
Gimli shrugged. "From time to time. She is my friend as well, you know," he said, bristling just a bit.  
  
Legolas shook his head slightly, trying to shove the tiny spark of envy he felt to the back of his mind. This was not the time or place to discuss it. They would have to take it up later.  
  
Moving forward they continued their decent. They met only a few Orcs and dealt with them efficiently. Most of them chose to flee instead of fight. Gimli received a gash on the arm during one skirmish, but he assured Legolas that it was minor.  
  
They found storerooms as they went lower. Wealth beyond any of their wildest dreams glittered dully in the torchlight, but neither of them was even tempted by the ill-gotten gains. It was little wonder that Barad-Dûr had been plundered. Obviously the Orcs that had remained after Sauron's demise were the only thing that had guarded the treasures all of these years. Zarraweth though, with her ill planned battle, had wiped out most of the foul creatures.  
  
A room full of barrels, however, stopped both warriors in their tracks. Legolas wrinkled his nose, but stepped forward to investigate. Gimli too was giving the barrels a hard look.  
  
Glancing at each other, they both reached for a lid at the same time, carefully prying it off. Inside, the barrel was filled to the top with a dark grainy substance.  
  
"Gimli," Legolas began. "Is this what Saruman used to . . ."  
  
"Breach the wall of Helm's Deep," the dwarf finished. "Aye, my friend, it is what my people call 'black powder'. We sometimes use it in our mining, but not often. It is very dangerous."  
  
Both of them looked around the dark tunnels and caves that wormed beneath Barad-Dûr.  
  
"And what would happen if we were to use it down here?" Legolas asked.  
  
Gimli's face lit up. "With all these volcanic vents beneath the fortress?" He grinned and wiggled his bushy eyebrows eagerly. "It would make an explosion that just might cause Mount Doom to grumble in her sleep. This whole valley would be filled with lava."  
  
Legolas nodded and turned, his heart much lighter. "Then let us find these prisoners and then we will fulfill my father's wish."  
  
They found the dungeon cells a long time later. When Legolas first stepped up to the bars, he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. For people of his own kind to have been subjected to such cruelty . . .  
  
Beside him, Gimli made a soft gagging sound, but when Legolas asked him to break through the rusty iron door, the dwarf did not hesitate.  
  
There were seventeen of them once Gimli's axe had crashed open all of the cells and broken their chains. One limped forward to Legolas, his skin and hair so blackened with filth that he looked like an Orc and fell at Legolas' feet.  
  
The startled prince gently raised him.  
  
"You are our savior," the Elf gasped through cracked lips. "Seven long centuries we have suffered. Does the sun still shine in better worlds?"  
  
Legolas slipped an arm beneath the Elf's emaciated one. "The sun shines even now. Sauron is defeated and Middle Earth is free of darkness. Soon even Barad-Dûr will be thrown down. You are free, brother."  
  
Hearing these words the Elf nearly fainted with relief and those around him swayed on shaky limbs.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Zarraweth tossed a spell over her shoulder as she ran from Barad-Dûr. Without the griffon's tears she was desperate. But the wizardess had knocked the last bowl of tears from her hand as she had tried to use them and Zarraweth now ran for her life.  
  
Never had she seen anyone as powerful as the wizardess. She wielded both green and gold magic and her staff was many times more powerful than Zarraweth's wand. The witch felt another surge of hate as she heard the wizardess curse behind her, but still she followed.  
  
*What will it take to stop her? What will it take to kill her?*  
  
Zarraweth could not believe that all her carefully laid plans had come to this. First the Orcs betrayed her. They had led her to believe that they were a powerful army and would delight in killing Elves. But they had argued with her plans and then when she had sent them out into battle, under pain of death if they did not heed her wishes, they had been foolish enough to lose the battle.  
  
The griffon had been the second one to betray her, resisting her and finally becoming so dangerous that she could no longer use him.  
  
*Did I not give the wizard more pleasure than he had ever known?*  
  
After what she had done for him, the least he could have done was given her his loyalty. But changing shape had altered his mind. The pliable Maladok she had come to know seemed to be gone, replaced by that foul creature with its bright eyes and unimaginative mind.  
  
Risking a glance over her shoulder, Zarraweth saw the wizardess gaining on her. Picking up her skirts, she ran harder.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede had never been so angry in all of her life. Not even Thranduil's stubbornness or the Faerie Queen had made her this angry! Not even Elrohir when he had placed a lizard in her bed!  
  
Covered with scratches, boils and missing a large chunk of her hair, Alede knew she could kill, just as Thranduil had bid her to do. But clawing her way through the thicket of magical thorns Zarraweth had placed around her, Alede knew she would not. Not because she wasn't capable of it, but because she did not want to live with the aftermath.  
  
Nevertheless, once she had pushed her way out of the thorn fence and saw Zarraweth racing ahead and a hoard of biting insects descended on her, Alede decided she had finally, irrevocably, once and for all, had enough.  
  
She shouted a spell.  
  
"Pyr encirlea incontotea!"  
  
Zarraweth halted in mid flight as immense power rushed over her head and bright green flames encircled her. She whirled around, facing Alede with both fury and desperation on her face.  
  
Alede dispensed with the last of the biting insects. She had been trying to fight fairly despite the black magic Zarraweth had used on her. But at the moment she felt a surge of dark pleasure at having finally bested her opponent.  
  
"I would stay still, if I were you," Alede said, marching up to the ring of fire. "Wizard's Fire does not kill, but I promise you it does burn."  
  
"Release me!"  
  
"You must be jesting!" Alede snapped. "After all that you've done? You have set Orcs upon innocent villages, sold objects of the dark arts on the black market, tortured the Elvin prisoners, attacked the innocent people of Eryn Culhallas, and my betrothed and myself! I will spare your life, but I will not spare you the justice you deserve. Now, toss me your wand."  
  
For a moment, Alede thought Zarraweth would comply and she stepped closer to the ring of bright flames. But as she did so, she realized her mistake.  
  
Zarraweth shouted a killing curse and Alede threw up her staff just barely in time to deflect the worst of it. But still it wrapped its icy tendrils around the wizardess and she fell to her knees. Even as pain wracked and twisted her body and Alede sank to the dust, she raised her staff one last time, commanding the fire to take its victim and thus protect Legolas.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas staggered beneath the slight weight of the Elf he was supporting when Alede's song disappeared from his mind. Lowering the prisoner to the ground, he sprang up the long stone steps, ignoring Gimli's exclamations. Bursting into the hall, he skidded to a halt, trying to pick up some idea of where Alede was.  
  
A horrid sound of human agony reached his ears.  
  
Legolas ran out onto the dusty plains in front of Barad-Dûr and beheld a gruesome sight. A ring of bright green flames was closing in on the witch Zarraweth. Her hair and clothing were already on fire. But while it blackened and shriveled them, it did not consume them and Legolas instinctively knew that death would not come quickly or easily to the one inside that flame.  
  
But all thoughts of the witch fled from his mind when he saw the crumpled form on the ground.  
  
"Alede!" He raced to her, dropping to his knees and lifting her with such haste that his movements were clumsy. His heart was hammering in his chest.  
  
*Valar, let her be all right!*  
  
"Alede! Melui!"  
  
He held her tightly and brushed her hair back from her face. She was covered with sores and her lips were cracked. Bruises and scratches marred her face. But suddenly that ceased to matter, when Alede's eyelids flickered and a trickle of her song entered his mind.  
  
"Melui? "  
  
Alede blinked and coughed, struggling to sit up. Legolas hugged her to him.  
  
"How badly are you injured?"  
  
"I . . . I am alright." Alede turned her head, hearing the awful noise and seeing for the first time the result of her spell. Zarraweth now writhed in the fire, shrieking her agony to the sky.  
  
"How do I end it, Alede?" Legolas asked desperately. "No one deserves to die like that."  
  
Alede shook her head and reached for her staff. Lifting it, she muttered the freezing spell. The flames instantly froze in their gruesome dance and Zarraweth's form went still and silent.  
  
"I used the Wizard's Fire to contain her," Alede said as Legolas helped her to her feet. "I never meant for her to die in it. But I was careless and she cursed me. I feared she would escape and come after you. I should have thought of the freezing spell earlier."  
  
Legolas held her close and a shudder went through him. "You should not have used it at all. It makes my blood run cold just to hear those evil words upon your lips."  
  
Alede reached up and caressed the side of his face. "I am sorry. I know you suffered much from that spell. You know that I use it with no evil intent, but I admit to its practicality. There is no green spell which is capable of stopping someone in their tracks quite so quickly."  
  
Legolas did not argue with her, but she heard in his song that he did not agree. Nevertheless, she did not promise to never use the freezing spell again. It was much too useful to cast aside. Should she or Legolas ever be threatened again, she would not hesitate.  
  
"I thought for a moment that I had lost you," Legolas said quietly, holding her.  
  
Alede reached up, hugging him fiercely. "Never. I am going to marry you, Legolas and no one will stop me. Certainly not a second rate witch."  
  
He smiled softly and held her for a moment more, before breaking away.  
  
"I must return. Gimli and I are bringing the prisoners up."  
  
Alede nodded to him and then turned back to Zarraweth. She spoke another incantation and the Wizard's Fire died away. Approaching Zarraweth's frozen form, Alede came to an awful realization.  
  
"I know not how to release it," Alede whispered with horror. She had used a spell which she did not know how to end. Zarraweth would remain alive, in agony from the burns she had suffered, but frozen forever.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
After Legolas returned to the dungeon and received a furious lecture from Gimli, the two of them helped all of the Elves from the dungeon. They blinked painfully in the evening light, yet greeted the harsh plains of Mordor as if they were lush forests.  
  
Alede tended them carefully, leading them to the shade of a small stunted tree and bathing their wounds with great care. She seemed distracted though and Legolas stopped to ask her if she was well. He could see that her wounds were already healing, but something else was bothering her.  
  
"Alede? Something troubles you, besides these injured people. What is it?"  
  
Alede glanced up at him and then quickly away. He felt shame and agonizing regret in her song.  
  
"I . . ."  
  
"Melui? What is it?"  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with anguish. "I do not know how to release the freezing spell."  
  
Legolas' jaw tightened as he looked at her, and then glanced over at Zarraweth's frozen form.  
  
"Have you tried to counteract it with your green magic?" he asked.  
  
Alede clasped her hands together. "Yes, but none of my magic has any affect on it. The only way that I know it will end is with her death or mine. I fear . . ." Alede swallowed hard, "I fear that she suffers. The fire burned her and from what I remember of the freezing spell, she is still conscious of her body."  
  
Legolas nodded grimly. The freezing spell had robbed him of his ability to move, but his mind and body had remained alert. He was angry with Alede for using the dark magic in the first place, but he would not condemn her for it, not when she so obviously condemned herself.  
  
Reaching forward, he took the small dagger from Alede's belt that his father had given her. He placed it in her hand. "My father charged you with a task. I suggest you complete it."  
  
Alede's eyes widened with horror. "I cannot. I have never killed anyone before."  
  
"And I do not wish for you to now. But it is cruel to make her suffer if you cannot release her from the spell. I see no other way."  
  
Alede's hand shook so badly she nearly dropped the knife. Legolas could see that she wanted to ask him to do it for her. He could hear the plea in his mind. But he would not make this easy for her. Zarraweth was a servant of evil, of that Legolas had no doubt. But Alede had brought this task upon herself and he would not take it from her.  
  
After a moment, Alede's eyes dropped. "I have been a fool," she said sadly. "I underestimated her and endangered both you and Gimli. I meddled with that which I should not have and allowed it to taint me. I am sorry, Legolas."  
  
"I forgive you, Alede," and he felt the rush of her relief. "Do you wish for me to stay?" he asked, nodding toward Zarraweth.  
  
"No," she shook her head. "I have tended to the Elves as well as I can. You said earlier that you wished to take them up into the hills before nightfall. Go and help Gimli. I will attend to . . . this."  
  
He nodded and touched her cheek, hearing the regret in her song, but hearing also her resolve. Turning away, he lifted the first of the Elves and he and Gimli began their slow walk to the foothills.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede looked at Zarraweth's blackened form, frozen in a silent scream.  
  
"What have I done?" she whispered in agony. She had not even touched Zarraweth, yet the guilt already weighed upon her mind. She knew that the witch was evil, knew that if she took her to the council in Angmar, they would probably burn her anyway. But she also knew that if she were the one to take Zarraweth's life, she would regret it and hate herself for it all of her life. It was one thing to make a promise to Thranduil. It was an entirely different thing to carry it out.  
  
Since she stood with her head bowed, lost in her horrified thoughts, Alede did not see Zarraweth's eyes sparkling with fury or know that the witch was gathering her own power to shake off the freezing curse. For, unlike Alede, Zarraweth knew the counter curse.  
  
Unaware of her adversary's struggles, Alede finally reached a decision. She would put Zarraweth under a sleeping spell, so that she did not suffer and then she would take her to Angmar. Those people did occasionally deal with black magic. Perhaps they would know the counter curse.  
  
Relief swept over Alede and she raised her head . . .  
  
And found Zarraweth standing before her, with Alede's staff in her hand.  
  
"Now we end this!" Zarraweth shouted, raising the staff, her face twisted in a mask of hatred.  
  
Alede's mouth dropped open to speak a protection spell, but she did so too late. Zarraweth shouted an awful curse, sweeping her arm down to point the staff at Alede . . .  
  
But Alede was suddenly knocked off of her feet and sent sprawling in the dirt. The spell shot over her to explode harmlessly against stone. A shadow streaked overhead and a scream of rage sent shivers down Alede's spine.  
  
Struggling to sit up, she shoved the small figure off of her.  
  
"Romiël?" Alede blinked in surprise at the Elf laying crumpled, but grinning triumphantly at her. She could not have been more surprised if unicorns had dropped from the heavens to save her.  
  
But instead, she saw that it was a different type of magical creature that had come to her rescue.  
  
The griffon hovered a few feet off of the ground, his great wings beating the air and raising a hurricane of dust. Zarraweth shrieked as his talons tore at her chest and stomach and she was raised from the ground in a death grip.  
  
The sounds of their screams, both avian and human, made both Romiël and Alede cower in horror. Clinging to each other, they cringed on the ground and covered their ears.  
  
Then mercifully there was silence.  
  
Cautiously Alede and Romiël looked up and watched as the griffon released Zarraweth's mangled body. It fell with a sickening thump on the ground. Elf and Wizardess staggered to their feet and Romiël haltingly stumbled to the griffon, throwing her arms around his neck.  
  
Alede approached him as well. "Thank you both for saving my life."  
  
"I swore I would have my revenge," the griffon said, giving the witch's still form a contemptuous look.  
  
"And I knew I must return to face Mordor as a free woman, before my mind could ever be free of its dungeons," Romiël added.  
  
Alede laughed softly, a sound more of irony than of mirth. "What ever your reasons, I am eternally grateful," and reaching out she gave Romiël a grateful hug, feeling close to this woman, though they were barely more than strangers.  
  
"And now, if you will, Lord Griffon," Alede continued, "there are many Elves who need to reach the hills before nightfall. Legolas and Gimli have already taken two of them to a safe place. If you could . . ."  
  
"I believe that I can carry two or three," the griffon stated. "Climb upon my back again, Romiël and let us leave this awful place."  
  
"I will join you shortly," Alede said, already turning back to Barad-Dûr. She would not leave without her mother's books. Sending a mental note of relief to Legolas, she walked quickly away, not looking at the bloody form on the ground.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Zarraweth forced herself to crawl the few feet that separated her from the ornate dagger that lay in the dust.  
  
They had all gone. The griffon had flown the Elves up into the hills, Romiël had been reunited with her brother, the Elf with his gleaming eyes and the bristling dwarf and the wizardess with her armload of Malina's books.  
  
They had all gone and left her there, thinking her dead, not even sparing her a glance.  
  
Zarraweth swore with her last few remaining breaths. She knew she would die soon. But she also knew she had enough strength left in her mangled body to cast one last spell.  
  
Gripping the dagger with her bloody hand, she brought it close, cradling it tenderly and began her spell. The Death Curse vibrated with power, vibrated with the name that Zarraweth bound to it. And when it was finished, Zarraweth raised the knife high and with a cry of triumph, plunged it into her abdomen.  
  
"You will not live to see another summer, Alede," she breathed with her last breath. Then her eyes glazed over and as her life seeped out upon the hard dirt, the spell took up a life of its own and swirled into the air . . .  
  
To wait for its appointed time.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Don't you just hate authors that leave you with spooky cliff hangers like this? *Nebride chuckles evilly* Find out if Legolas and Gimli are going to be able to bring down Barad-Dûr in chapter 13, coming Friday. :D  
  
Special thanks to Thecla who had some fantastic ideas for this chapter! :D And special thanks to Skatinggeek too! :D :D :D  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens. 


	13. Fall of BaradDûr

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 13 ~ "Fall of Barad-Dûr"  
  
"I believe it failed," Legolas stated anxiously as he shielded his eyes with his hand and gazed out over the gray plain of Mordor.  
  
"Nay. Have patience, lad," Gimli replied, his hands resting stoutly upon his hips as his eyes too were focused on Barad-Dûr.  
  
Legolas shook his head with disappointment and frustration. "Nay, Gimli, it has been too long. I am certain that the fuse failed. I will return and see what has gone wrong. Perhaps there was an Orc or two which we missed that have put it out."  
  
"You can forget that idea immediately," Alede said, rising from where she had been tending the Elf prisoners. Legolas felt the cold wave of her fear as she approached him. "It is too dangerous. I will not allow either of you to return even if I have to pop a sack over your head."  
  
Legolas snorted quietly with mirth. "You would need to catch me first, Melui."  
  
Alede scowled at him, but he reached out and took her hand, reassuring her without words and a quick grin. He would wait a little longer, but it was a difficult wait. He desperately wanted this to succeed. It would be his gift to Middle Earth.  
  
After making their small camp in a sheltered hollow in the hills, all of the Elvin prisoners had been brought to it. The reunion between Romiël and her brother, Romion, had brought tears to their eyes. While Alede tried to make them comfortable and the griffon hunted, Legolas and Gimli had returned to Barad-Dûr.  
  
They had rolled the numerous barrels of black powder down near the volcanic vents. Gimli had also placed several kegs near key foundation supports beneath the fortress. Fuses had been braided together and led up near the stairs. The two warriors had then scoured as much of the fortress as they had time for, but found no other prisoners.  
  
At least none that were alive.  
  
They had found a few more Orcs and a sleeping troll, none of which lasted long against the Elf and the Dwarf. They had then lit the fuses and ran as if the very hounds of Mordor were after them.  
  
Alede had sent the griffon down to rescue them, but Gimli had refused to climb upon the creature's back, despite the impending explosion. In frustration, the griffon had grasped the protesting dwarf with his talons and flown them to the safety of the hills.  
  
But now as they watched, it appeared that their plan to blow up the fortress had failed. The fuses should have gone off by now.  
  
"I should return," Legolas said. But just as Gimli reached to hold him back they heard a dull 'boom' from deep within the fortress. A cloud of dust rolled out of Barad-Dûr's main gate a moment later and then quite suddenly more booms were heard.  
  
Not only did dust gush forth from the doors and gates, but the towers shook as well. One by one the Elf prisoners climbed unsteadily to their feet to watch.  
  
"Hmm . . ." Legolas said thoughtfully, "I had hoped for more . . ."  
  
But beside him, Gimli was grinning from ear to ear beneath his beard.  
  
Suddenly a tremendous rumble vibrated through their feet. The towers shook and leaned. For a moment all those watching thought that the towers would right themselves, but the tremors proved to be too much and they went over. They toppled in what seemed like slow motion, falling forever from their great height to finally crash upon the ground or through the roof of other parts of the fortress.  
  
Even high up in the hills, they felt the impact of their destruction. The great gate collapsed and the walls around it crumbled and fell in a great gout of dust and debris. Other parts of the structure caved in upon itself and then without warning there was another explosion.  
  
This explosion made the first ones seem like the mere popping of a soap bubble. The roof of the great hall blew upward with such force that huge building stones were hurled a couple of hundred feet into the air.  
  
Legolas suddenly let out a very un-elflike whoop of joy. He grabbed Alede, lifting her off of her feet and spun her around, depositing her on the ground again with a sound kiss. He then turned exuberantly to Gimli.  
  
"We did it, Gimli! We did it!!"  
  
"Do not touch me," the dwarf shouted, but in vain. "Bleh!" Gimli sputtered once Legolas had released him and Alede laughed delightedly. The griffon let out a shriek of celebration, nearly deafening all of them.  
  
The Elvin prisoners were cheering too, their raspy voices barely audible amidst the sound of destruction and Legolas' continued exclamations. Romiël had tears of joy in her eyes and was holding her brother tightly.  
  
"We are free, Romion. We are all finally free."  
  
"As is Middle Earth, Sister."  
  
Their cheering soon stopped though when a huge geyser of molten rock shot through the opening in the great hall roof and once again the ground shook. This time with enough force that many of the Elves were thrown to the ground.  
  
"Uh . . . Gimli?" Legolas began.  
  
"Aye, this is what I hoped would happen," the dwarf replied. But as he spoke, he was quickly gathering up their belongings. "But it is a bit more energetic than I anticipated. Lava is a tricky thing to predict."  
  
"That it may be," Legolas replied, hoisting a fallen Elf to his feet. "But I 'predict' that we had best move to higher ground."  
  
They beat a hasty retreat into the mountains, moving as quickly as the Elvin prisoners were able. The griffon spread his great wings and flew ahead to find a suitable spot to camp. Once he had located another sheltered hollow higher up, he flew the Elves there two at a time.  
  
Gimli walked and arrived late in the evening. He was tired, dirty and quite grumpy, but had refused all offers of a ride.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Tremors continued throughout the night and into the next day. The company traveled slowly. The griffon was exhausted from so many flights. His muscles had had little time to adapt to their new form, so he walked beside them like an enormous cat, his back taller than the tallest plow horse, his wings tucked closely to his body. Romiël rode upon his back since walking was so difficult for her and Alede walked beside them.  
  
The wizardess spoke of her upbringing in Rivendell, though she was careful not to mention her own Angmar heritage. After what the she-Elf had endured at the hands of Zarraweth, Alede was not certain Romiël was ready to hear that Alede too was a witch. But Romiël was eager to hear of Alede's life, no doubt as a distraction from her own tortured memories and simply because she had grown to like the quiet wizardess. There was something in her green eyes that gave Romiël comfort.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Late in the afternoon, an explosion and the shaking of the ground knocked all of them off of their feet.  
  
"Ilúvatar have mercy!" Legolas cried as he pointed to the south.  
  
An immense plume of ash blackened the sky over Mount Doom. Fire seemed to leap from the mountaintop and lightening crackled in the dense cloud above. Another explosion followed the first, though it was not as severe.  
  
"Legolas," Gimli began, his voice filled with dread and regret, "I fear we may have threatened your kingdom. This is worse than I anticipated."  
  
Worry reflected on Legolas' handsome features as he focused on the volcano.  
  
"Nay, I think not friend," he answered, scanning the horizon. The plume did not seem to pass the confines of the Ash Mountains. "I hope not," he added fervently.  
  
The griffon spoke for the first time. "The windsss will push the ash to the eassst. Fear not, young Legolasss, your kingdom will sssurvive."  
  
"At least the people from the south who hoped to trade with Zarraweth will turn back now," Alede said. "Mount Doom stands between them and their goal. Surely they will not try to cross its path."  
  
Beside her, Legolas relaxed a little as he turned to her. "Not to mention that Barad-Dûr is now only a heap of ruble and molten rock."  
  
"You two will go down in legend as the Elf and Dwarf who destroyed Mordor!" Alede teased.  
  
Gimli chuckled. "Nay, do not say so. Legolas' head is already inflated enough! We will not get him through doorways now!"  
  
Legolas laughed and gave his friend a gentle cuff on the shoulder. "No doubt Gimli is already planning a sculpture of himself to commemorate his part in the deed."  
  
"A sculpture!" Gimli roared, making several of the Elves flinch. Alede gave them a reassuring smile so that they would know everything was well, or as well as it could be between these two quarrelsome friends.  
  
"No doubt you are already composing an epic," Gimli continued, "to expound upon your adventures! You'll be instructing minstrels to sing ballads of your greatness!"  
  
Legolas turned to Alede with a wink. "His likeness will be carved upon the side of a mountain. It will take seven generations of dwarves to complete it."  
  
Alede had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles as the two started into a full-fledged argument. They would have gone on for some time if the griffon had not interrupted them.  
  
"There are other fortressesss besssidesss Barad-Dûr. Until they are thrown down and the Orcsss within them ssslain, Mordor will not truly be dessstroyed."  
  
With those sobering words, the bantering stopped completely and Alede threw an irritated glance at the griffon. She was not pleased by the speculative look on Legolas' face.  
  
"Our companions are growing weary," she said, breaking the tension. "Perhaps we should make camp early."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas continued to think about what the griffon had said while he helped to set up their meager camp. It was true. There were other fortresses in Mordor and while they still stood, they presented the same danger that Barad-Dûr had. Possibly the danger was less, but it existed nevertheless.  
  
As he thought, his hands automatically wove pine boughs into as comfortable a mattress as possible. There were only three bedrolls and those were being shared by six of the Elves at his insistence. The others slept close to the fire, or nestled against the griffon's vast sides. The previous night, he and Alede had shared a cold, hard patch of grass, though he had woven a bower for Gimli.  
  
A gentle inquiry lilted through his mind as he worked and he looked up to see Alede watching him, worry evident on her face.  
  
He finished the mat of boughs and went to her, catching up her cold hand in his.  
  
"I have no intention of rushing off to Cirith Ungol tonight, if that is your worry."  
  
Alede smiled a little and looked down at the ground for a moment. "But you do intend to go sometime, do you not?" she asked, her green eyes filled with concern.  
  
"It is a valid concern which the griffon brought up."  
  
Alede took in a great shuddering breath and Legolas once again felt a wave of fear coming from her.  
  
"Melui? What is it? Why do you fear so? We were victorious."  
  
"Victorious once," she exclaimed. "We may not be so fortunate next time."  
  
"But there is no dark witch in the other fortresses, only Orcs, and I have hunted them for many hundreds of years."  
  
"I know. It is just that . . ."  
  
"What?" he asked, gently tipping her chin up, so that he could look into her eyes when she would look away.  
  
Alede shook her head. "It is just a feeling . . . a feeling of dread, as if I will lose you before I even have you."  
  
Legolas shook his head and pulled her into his embrace. "You will not lose me, Alede. I make you a promise that I will always come home to you. You are my beloved and nothing can part us." He held her away from him for a moment so that he might look upon her face. "Listen to my words."  
  
She smiled weakly. "I hear you. Perhaps I am just tired."  
  
"And have witnessed much horror and pain in the last few days," he added sagely. "I told you that I had made a mistake dragging you off on this adventure before you had even rested from your journey."  
  
"We have already had that argument," Alede chastised mildly.  
  
"Aye, I know. Though in truth, I no longer regret it," he glanced over her head at the Elves as Gimli was helping them to eat the thin soup they had made from the griffon's kill. "As much as I am sorry for your fatigue," Legolas continued, "these people desperately needed us."  
  
She turned slightly in his arms to look at their little camp. "Yes, they did. I hope that your father comes to meet us soon. I am worried about them sleeping out in the cold air. The sooner they get to Ithilien, the better. Which reminds me," Alede stepped back and Legolas felt her mind shift into what he thought of as her professional mode.  
  
"I wished to speak with you about an idea," Alede said, lowering her voice and glancing back at the camp. "I am wondering if the sharing of song might be beneficial to these people."  
  
Legolas considered her idea. "Do you mean as a way to heal their minds, as I did with Gimli that time I injured him?"  
  
"Yes, do you think it would help them? Surely as much torment as they have suffered, their minds must be . . ."  
  
"Twisted," Legolas finished for her and he knew that they were both thinking of the unfortunate she-Elf Unilyn, whose mind had never healed from her experience at the hands of the Orcs.  
  
Alede nodded and lowered her voice even more. "I think that those who were too weak may have perished already. Romiël seems especially strong, but their torture must have left some impact."  
  
Legolas nodded. "It is a good idea, Alede. There are those in my kingdom who fought many battles with the Orcs in Mirkwood and many of my healers are familiar with ways of healing the minds. Perhaps between all of them a way could be found to free these people of their demons." He took Alede's hand and squeezed it gently. "Thank you for this suggestion. Before we speak of it with my people, let me first discuss it with my father. He has had more experience with Orcs and their ways than anyone else."  
  
"Are you comfortable with speaking to him about this?"  
  
Legolas grinned, slightly abashed by her intuitiveness. "Not entirely. Fathers and sons typically discuss sharing of song only once in their lifetimes and it is not a comfortable experience for either."  
  
"Can I help?" Alede asked.  
  
"Nay, but you can help by assisting me with weaving pine boughs. You grumbled much in your sleep last night and I would not have you laying on the hard ground once again."  
  
Alede chuckled. "It was not so much the ground as the rocks that were in it and the small crawly things that tried to spend the night in my sleeves. I am looking forward to a soft bed and clean linens."  
  
"Hmm," Legolas mused, slipping his fingers through a stray strand of her hair, "as am I." And with a suggestive wink, he left her once again feeling weak kneed and breathless.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They continued their slow journey in the morning, watching Mount Doom as they walked. But it soon became apparent that the wind was indeed pushing the ash to the east and they traveled with considerably lightened hearts.  
  
The Elvin prisoners, though horribly weak, were jubilant considering what they had endured and the hardships they now faced on their journey. Many of them could barely walk.  
  
"Merely to see the sun again eases my pain," Romion said to Alede as they walked. "And to sleep beneath the stars once again . . . I would endure any amount of cold for that privilege."  
  
Two days later, they were met by Thranduil's company.  
  
Alede greeted him with a cry of joy. "You brought healers and blankets!"  
  
"Yes, and greetings to you as well, Alede," Thranduil said with a sardonic tone.  
  
Alede laughed, not caring at all that Thranduil was once again chastising her manners. She was much too glad to see the spare horses and the litters they carried to be vexed by the King.  
  
He soon forgot her anyway, leaping from his horse to clasp his son in a welcoming embrace and entreat him for all the news.  
  
Later in the evening as they sat on thick blankets and several fires burned high, Alede noticed that Thranduil's eyes strayed often to Romiël as the Elf sat quietly listening to Legolas recount of events. The she-Elf was clothed in breaches and a warm tunic obviously borrowed from Alede's own wardrobe. It was only now that Alede realized that both she and the she- Elf were of similar height and build. But even stranger, was the knowledge that Thranduil had raided her clothing to provide for the woman.  
  
Alede gave Romiël and Thranduil a speculative look and then smiled a quiet secret smile.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Will you walk with me, Father?" Alede asked Thranduil after most of the Elvin prisoners had had a wash with hot water and been tucked into warm bedrolls. Alede could still hear their soft sighs of contentment.  
  
Thranduil looked up at her from where he lounged by the fire, but did not rise. Alede ground her teeth together. Was nothing easy with this Elf!  
  
"I wish to speak with you," she said quietly, glancing for a moment at Legolas who sat with one of his healers and was listening to the news from Eryn Culhallas. She had sensed all evening how uncomfortable Legolas was about broaching the subject of using song for healing with his father. She was still amazed by such prudish behavior from the normally very un-prudish Elves. But she had no such hesitation and therefore had decided to ask Thranduil about it herself.  
  
Thranduil too glanced over at his son, before rising to his feet.  
  
"Secrets, Alede?" he asked as they walked away from the fire. "If you wish to break your betrothal with Legolas, I will assist you with your packing."  
  
"I am not going to break my betrothal!" Alede snapped before realizing that Thranduil was baiting her just for fun again.  
  
She closed her eyes and held her breath as she silently counted to ten. She was exhausted so the Elf was easily able to spark her temper with only a few words.  
  
"You will suffocate if you continue to hold your breath," Thranduil's voice cut through her thoughts.  
  
"I will not suffocate! I wished to ask you a question before you started being annoying."  
  
"Annoying?" Thranduil asked, raising an imperious eyebrow that made Alede step back a bit, thinning her lips with irritation.  
  
"I apologize for the term," Alede said. "But I am fatigued and I do not wish to play games. I have spoken with Legolas about an idea and we were interested in your opinion. He intends to speak with you later, but I am impatient for your opinion."  
  
Thranduil's brows shot up. Obviously he was intrigued that she might seek his advice.  
  
"I am listening."  
  
Alede cleared her throat, choosing her words carefully. "What I wish to speak of is a subject that you will find . . . impolite."  
  
"Continue."  
  
"These Elves have suffered so much. I fear that it may have effected their minds . . ."  
  
"It has," Thranduil stated. "For the brief time that Romiël was in Ithilien, I saw that. She had nightmares and that is unusual in an Elf."  
  
"Indeed?" Alede questioned. "I have always been under the impression that Elves controlled their dreams. Is it not sometimes called the waking sleep?"  
  
"It is," Thranduil said nodding. "That she no longer has the ability to direct her dreams indicates how much her torture has effected her. Not surprising considering what they have endured."  
  
"No, it is not surprising," Alede said shaking her head and glancing back at the camp. "Which is why I wish to purpose this idea." She hesitated once again. "Several years ago when Gimli was unconscious because of a head wound, Legolas used . . . his song to heal him, to bring his mind back."  
  
Thranduil glanced away with a scowl of irritation and Alede thought, a hint of embarrassment.  
  
"I do not wish to be rude," Alede said quickly. "But might it not be a way to help these people heal from their ordeal? If some of Legolas' people were to volunteer, perhaps those who dealt with Orcs before from their years in Mirkwood, might it not be a way of aiding the prisoners?"  
  
Despite his distaste for the subject, Thranduil was listening to her suggestion. Alede could see him weighing it in his mind.  
  
"I am sure that with time or by crossing over to the West, these people will heal," Alede said, pressing her advantage. "But might this not be a way to speed that healing? Might some of them wish to stay and could we not try to bring them some sense of joy and security while they are here?"  
  
Thranduil gazed off into the distance for a moment and Alede held her breath again.  
  
"It is a possibility, daughter. I will consider your idea."  
  
"Thank you," she said, letting her breath out with a rush. "I would be happy to work with Romiël. I am quite fond of her already. . ."  
  
"Nay," Thranduil said a little too sharply. "You are not Elvin. If anyone works with Romiël, it will be I."  
  
Alede made a concentrated effort to control her face.  
  
"And you may wipe that ridiculous grin off of your face, daughter!" Thranduil snapped.  
  
But Alede ignored his tone and her smile grew. "May I offer my congratulations then?"  
  
"What are you babbling about?" Thranduil asked irritably, though he looked uncomfortable, betraying that he knew exactly what Alede was implying.  
  
Alede decided to take pity on Legolas' father. This was not an appropriate subject to needle him about and she had not missed the guilty glance Thranduil had cast toward Legolas. She too did not know how the Prince would react to his father's interest in another woman. It was rare for Elves to love more than once in their lives. Would Legolas think that Thranduil dishonored his mother's memory?  
  
Changing the subject, Alede asked, "Did Legolas tell you of Romiël's daring rescue?"  
  
When Thranduil shook his head, Alede told him of Romiël's brave leap from the griffon's back which had sent her sprawling out of the way of Zarraweth's spell.  
  
"I think," Alede concluded softly, "beneath those scars and disfigurements lies a woman of tremendous courage and beauty."  
  
It was a full moment before Thranduil answered, his eyes straying to where the she-Elf lay curled in her bedroll.  
  
"For once, daughter, I am in complete agreement with you."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They traveled slowly for the sake of the injured Elves. Romiël surprised them all by commenting how fair Thranduil looked without his beard. This inspired an amused inquiry from Legolas and when the King reluctantly explained to his son that Radagast had cursed him with a beard after their argument, Alede went into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.  
  
Legolas had to physically intervene to keep Thranduil from strangling his betrothed and the journey was finished with Thranduil in fit of high temper.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Are you awake?" Legolas asked brightly as he sat down upon Alede's bed with an annoying bounce.  
  
"I am now," came the muttered reply from somewhere beneath the immense pile of blankets.  
  
All that Legolas could see of her was the top of her head and several unruly strands of hair.  
  
They had been back in Ithilien for three days now. Legolas and Alede had scarcely had a private moment together since their return. He was busy with his councilors assessing the repairs to their grape crop and taking care of all the tiny tedious details that made up the running of a small kingdom. His scouts had also returned and he sent them out again to spy out the other fortresses in Mordor. Eventually he would have to deal with them.  
  
His father was still in a temper because of the beard incident and had not forgiven Radagast. He and the wizard ignored and avoided each other which made Legolas' life more difficult since he often needed to seek out the advice of both of them.  
  
Gimli had disappeared grumpily into his house and not reappeared until the day before.  
  
Cyrus had taken to giving out dire predictions every time Mount Doom belched out a new cloud of ash in the distance. Legolas was happy to see both he and Radagast begin their magical work on his kingdom, as it gave Cyrus less time to complain.  
  
The griffon had accidentally frightened their flock of goats which provided the milk for Ithilien's famous cheese. Legolas' skill had been required to help track them down, where they were eventually found munching flowers at least three leagues from home.  
  
Alede had immediately taken charge of the infirmary to the amusement of Galomir, the senior healer and the annoyance of the under-healers. But she had soon smoothed tempers with her efficiency and her obvious concern for the welfare of their new patients. Bones that had been broken and deformed were reset, cruel spikes were removed and eyes that had lost their luster began to shine with Elvin brightness once again.  
  
Legolas was pleased to be home. More than just pleased. After so many days of travel and toil though, he was ready, like any Elf, to play. But at the moment, the object of his play was laying in bed with the sun already peeking over the horizon and not cooperating.  
  
His fingers walked down the side of what he assumed to be ribs, before they began making poking motions.  
  
"Mmph . . . come to bed or go away," came the mumbled reply from the bed.  
  
Legolas grinned. He knew that Alede was tired after working so hard for the past few days. He had deliberately left her alone at night so that she might sleep soundly. But three days and three nights was now more than he could stand to be deprived of her company and he knew that she had retired early the previous night. A day of sunshine and play would do her good.  
  
"I have something to show you," he said.  
  
A corner of the blankets turned down and green eyes peeked out at him.  
  
"Are our patients all right?" she asked, blinking at him.  
  
"They are fine. Galomir has everything well under control. Take a day of rest. I want to show you something."  
  
"What?"  
  
Legolas grinned. "I cannot tell you. It is a secret."  
  
Alede flipped the covers back, obviously intrigued. "Let me get dressed . . ."  
  
"Nay," Legolas said, standing up, "this will not require clothing." And pulling her to her feet, he led her eagerly out of the bedchamber.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Looks like our Elf is up to mischief. Find out what Legolas has up his sleeve, or rather his lack of sleeves, since he won't be wearing any in chapter 14, coming up soon! ;)  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens.  
  
Romion - Romiel's brother and also a captive of Sauron for 700 years. 


	14. Day of Play

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 14 ~ "Day of Play"  
  
"It's a rope," Alede said, staring at the object Legolas had placed in her hands.  
  
"Aye, that it is," he agreed, a broad grin of mischief on his face. "And?"  
  
Alede looked up at him in bewilderment. He had dragged her from her bed as soon as the sun was up, refused to let her dress, loaded her onto Aransûl's back and brought her to a small cliff overlooking a deep pool of clear water and then pressed a rope into her hands.  
  
She tugged experimentally on the rope and then followed it with her eyes until its other end disappeared into the leafy canopy high over their heads. Alede fervently hoped Legolas did not expect her to climb it.  
  
Clearing her throat, she tried again. "It is a rope. Tied to a tree. A very large tree."  
  
Legolas' grin broadened and he began unbuttoning his tunic. Alede eyed him with both suspicion and extreme interest.  
  
"What am I supposed to do with it?" Alede asked about the rope, though her eyes had not strayed from watching Legolas' tunic part, revealing flawless pale skin beneath. She was always astonished by how muscular Elves were, though they looked so slender.  
  
"I will show you," he said. "But you must remove your nightdress first."  
  
Alede gave a short puzzled laugh, but after a moment's hesitation, she untied the ribbons on the front of her nightdress. Pulling it over her head was a little more difficult matter though. She was uncomfortably nervous. They had nearly made love once, but that had been a moment of passion and high emotions. To be so calmly removing their clothing in the middle of a forest, with bright sunlight shining upon them, made Alede very self-conscious and his song gave her no indication of his plans. It was such a mixture of joy and mischief, love and arousal that she could not sort it out.  
  
Legolas looked at her, still wearing the mischievous grin as he tossed his tunic to the ground. He stood upon one foot, then the other, easily toeing his boots off.  
  
Alede felt a moment of envy as she watched him. If she tried to remove her boots while standing up, she would fall on her face. But Elves had no trouble with balance. Since Legolas had yanked her out of her bedchambers without even her slippers, Alede had nothing else to take off.  
  
Except the nightdress.  
  
As Legolas began smoothly untying the lacings on the front of his leggings, Alede cleared her throat nervously and began wadding up the hem of her nightdress, inching it up her thighs. Closing her eyes, she held her breath and then pulled it off over her head.  
  
"Mmm."  
  
Legolas' softly murmured sound snapped her eyes open, but he had already grasped her hand, pulling her close and then she had something more to worry about than his eyes upon her naked body.  
  
"Uhm . . . Legolas . . ." she began as her skin touched the warmth of his. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling them even closer together and Alede felt her heart pounding in her chest like a galloping horse.  
  
"Put your arms around my shoulders," Legolas instructed.  
  
Alede did so, hardly aware that he was grasping the rope, but intensely conscious of the depth of his twilight colored eyes. Alede felt entranced. The forest around them disappeared. She leaned forward and . . .  
  
Felt her feet leave the ground.  
  
Suddenly they were swinging out into open space over the pond. Alede could not help but let out a squeal. She did not mind heights when she was upon her spell horse or on a solid platform, but with her feet dangling over nothing but air, the sensation was terrifying. She felt as if her stomach had been left behind on the cliff.  
  
"Here we go!" Legolas shouted. And then the feeling of swinging suddenly seemed safe and secure as Legolas let go of the rope and they plunged down into the pond.  
  
Alede screamed until she hit the water and then had the presence of mind to close her mouth. When she surfaced, Legolas was already treading water, bobbing around like a cork.  
  
"You could have warned me!" Alede sputtered.  
  
"And missed that scream?" Legolas asked, gasping with laughter. "Oh, Alede that was brilliant!" he cried, still laughing so hard she didn't know how he stayed afloat.  
  
"Brilliant!" she muttered irritably, swimming over to him briskly. Legolas made a mock face of terror and gave an exaggerated rendition of her scream before diving into the water and swimming away from her like a fish.  
  
Alede made an exasperated noise and followed him. She finally caught up with him near the far side and managed to dunk his head under. Legolas grabbed her underwater and nipped the tender flesh of her belly before he surfaced. Alede laughed and splashed him. He tried to dive away from her again, but she caught him as he turned and wrapped her arms over his shoulders and her legs around his waist.  
  
Legolas had only a moment to enjoy the feeling of her breasts pressed against his back, before she began tickling his ribs.  
  
"Unfair!" he cried, laughing and trying to swim away from her, but Alede hung on tightly. Their playful struggles brought them to the opposite shore and when Legolas' feet hit sand, he grasped Alede's thighs and stood up with her still upon his back.  
  
Alede giggled, thinking that this was the second Elf who had carried her piggyback. She hung on tighter as he bounced her up and down a few times. Playfully, she bit his shoulder.  
  
"Ai!" Legolas cried as he waded out of the water. "I seem to have been accosted by an oversized leach! Perhaps if I scrape it off against this tree . . ." he turned, pretending to get close enough to a rough barked tree to brush her off. Alede squeaked and then tugged his hair.  
  
"And now the vicious leach pulls at my hair," Legolas declared, trudging up the hill to the top of the cliff again. "Perhaps it is a bat instead. I think I will toss it out over the pond and see if it flies."  
  
Alede giggled and held on tighter until they reached their starting point, where Legolas let go of her thighs and Alede dropped lightly to the ground. Turning quickly, he caught her in his arms and pulled her in close for a long and very wet kiss.  
  
"Well," he asked as he kissed the water droplets from each of her closed eyelids and soaked in the feel of her pressed so intimately to his body. "What do you think?"  
  
Alede was panting slightly as she opened her eyes, though she had not been the one to climb the cliff.  
  
"I think," she said slowly, melding her body a little closer to his and feeling the heat of arousal between them, "I think it is no wonder that you are called a 'wood' Elf."  
  
Legolas threw back his head and laughed as he caught her joke. Alede laughed too, but blushed clear to her toes.  
  
Legolas shook his head in wonder, still chuckling. His hand moved to cup the side of her face. "My dear, sweet Alede. Have you any idea how charming you are?" he asked fondly. She grinned up at him.  
  
"I ask you about this paradise and you give me ribald jokes instead," he teased. "I had better be in the best of health for our wedding night, for I am sure that you will exhaust me, being the wanton that you are."  
  
"Legolas!"  
  
He grinned, caught the rope and swung them out over the pond. Alede screamed again, but when they hit the water this time, she did not let him get away.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Alede?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
They lay still naked in the lush grass in an open glade beneath the dappled canopy of leaves near the pond. Bees hummed drowsily nearby and the breeze was warm as it rustled the treetops. Sunlight spattered across their skin in shifting patterns.  
  
Legolas lay on his side, his head propped upon his elbow. His hand drifted lazily over Alede's back as she lay with her chin upon her hands. His fingers traced the hollow of her spine down until they could drift over the soft swell of her buttocks and down onto the backs of her thighs. Then his hand would begin its journey all over again, soothing her, arousing her, and joining them in a slow dance of love.  
  
The moment should have been charged with erotic energy, but it was not. Their passion was kindled and their songs were closely entwined. But there was none of the frantic urgency that Legolas had known with other lovers. This was something soft and sensual, but more of the spirit than of the body, a kind of emotional foreplay that Legolas had no intention of rushing. There was a purity in this moment that he wished to pay homage too. That Alede obviously felt it too, made it all that much more hallowed.  
  
"Have you thought about how many children you would like to have?" he asked quietly.  
  
Alede turned her face toward him, smiling contentedly. "As many as you will give me."  
  
He grinned. "I am very fond of children . . ."  
  
"As I have observed," Alede interrupted, remembering Legolas with his niece and nephew.  
  
"I would like to have several, but I realize it will be difficult for you . . ."  
  
Alede rolled over on her side, curious about the look of concern upon his face.  
  
"I do not know what childbirth is like for your people," he continued, "but I was present when Eowyn bore her second child." He blanched a little. "Her screams could be heard outside in the courtyard . . ."  
  
Alede smiled, understanding his concern finally. "That is normal. Birth is a time of pain and rejoicing evenly mixed. Do not be concerned."  
  
"It is just that I do not wish to be the cause of pain for you."  
  
Alede snuggled close to him, so that their bodies touched. She lifted her hand and slid her fingers through the silk of his hair.  
  
"The pain of child birth will be an easy price to pay to someday hold one of your children in my arms," she said.  
  
"Or perhaps seven or eight children?" he asked with a little smile.  
  
"As long as it is not seven or eight all at once," Alede said laughing, and then she pulled him down on top of her and it was a long time before they left the sunny glade and made their way back to the city.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: And no, for those of you wondering - they did NOT do "it". lol!!! But we're getting close . . . ehem! The big day is approaching in chapter 15 "Wedding Day" coming soon. :)  
  
Also, find out what Thranduil and Romiël are up to in my new story, "Heart of a King" beginning today. :)  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens.  
  
Romion - Romiel's brother and also a captive of Sauron for 700 years. 


	15. Wedding Day

{{Sorry about the delay everyone. FF.net's upload feature has been down since Thursday. GRRRRRR!!!}}  
  
THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 15 ~ "Wedding Day"  
  
"Ah hah!" Legolas said as Alede came in from her early morning rounds at the healer's hall. He was sitting at the desk in her library with one of her mother's leather bound books open in front of him.  
  
"Now I know what you did to me," he said, giving Alede a mock glare of accusation.  
  
"What are you talking about?" she asked as she washed her hands and then came to stand beside him.  
  
Legolas picked up the book and began reading from it. "Weaver of silk, weaver of time . . ."  
  
Alede's hand suddenly slammed down on the page, interrupting him.  
  
"Never," she warned, but there was a small smile on her face, "never read a spell out loud unless you are prepared to cast it."  
  
Legolas looked up at her, his well-shaped mouth curling into a grin.  
  
"It is a Love Spell, Alede."  
  
"I am aware of that," she said evenly, trying to pull the book away from him. Legolas hung onto it.  
  
"Did you cast this spell on me?" he asked, grinning because he knew she had not. He merely wished to tease her.  
  
"No, I did not," she said, finally succeeding in wrestling the book away from him. "I did not have this book when you and I met. Otherwise I might have been tempted."  
  
Legolas stood up, standing so close that Alede had to tip her head back to look in his eyes.  
  
"Are you certain?" he asked in a silky whisper. "Because every time I look at you or sense your nearness, I feel enchanted. You have bewitched me, Alede."  
  
Her eyes went wide and she took in a shaky breath before Legolas' mouth descended on hers. His kiss was full of fire and Alede swayed against him, dropping the book where it fell unnoticed at their feet. His tongue plundered her mouth and his lips caressed hers in a heated dance that made her reel with need.  
  
She had come to realize since their return to Ithilien three weeks ago, that there was far more to an Elvin betrothal than a ceremony and a joining of hearts and minds. Legolas was turning this time into a slow seduction of her senses that left her thrumming with desire. This was a form of foreplay that lasted months, not minutes and Alede was not sure how much longer she could endure the sweet torture.  
  
"You are driving me mad," she whimpered against his mouth as his fingers drifted with feathery lightness beneath her hair, brushing her neck and causing her to tremble.  
  
"Patience, Melui," he said softly, his mouth moving to her ear, nibbling it gently with his lips. "Love is like a precious vine. It must be tended and nurtured. One does not allow it to bear fruit in its first year. The roots must be strong enough . . ."  
  
"First year!?" Alede exclaimed, interrupting him. "Please don't tell me that it will be more than a year before you make love to me! I cannot bear it. This is nearly as bad as when your father told me that betrothals lasted 200 years!"  
  
Legolas snorted against her ear before pulling away and trying to smother his laughter with his hand.  
  
"It is not funny," Alede said sulkily.  
  
"Oh, Alede! It is terribly funny!" he cried clutching his stomach with mirth. "Do not frown at me so, Melui!"  
  
"Humph," she said, bending to pick up the book. "I think that you and your father have the same diabolical sense of humor."  
  
He wiped the corner of his eyes and sat back against the desk, pulling her into the circle of his arms. "It is just that you are so delightful to tease," he said with a grin. "But I have informed Mändel that our wedding day will be the last day of spring, as you requested. So that is only ten months away. Not quite a year," he said with a wink.  
  
"I think you just wish to drive me mad in the mean time, so that I will fall to my knees and beg you," Alede said with a pout.  
  
Legolas' eyes twinkled, but his voice was gentle when he spoke. "While that position does conjure up some intriguing possibilities, I would never wish you to beg for anything."  
  
Alede smiled, knowing that he spoke the truth.  
  
"And I have noticed that you are not so shy about this subject as you once were," Legolas said gently pressing his forehead to hers, a gesture which she found irresistibly charming.  
  
"That is true," Alede whispered, moving slightly so that she could rub the tip of his nose with hers.  
  
"By our wedding night, Alede, you will be filled with confidence and . . ."  
  
"Love," she finished for him.  
  
"Aye. Trust me, Alede . . ."  
  
"I do trust you . . ."  
  
He angled his head, so that their lips met again. Alede sighed into his mouth as she moved closer to him. She had just swept her hands beneath the silken curtain of his hair, when there was a knock at the door.  
  
Legolas reluctantly broke the kiss and called for the servant to enter.  
  
"A messenger has arrived, my Lord, bearing a letter from Prince Franduil in Eryn Lasgallen."  
  
Legolas rose abruptly and took the letter. "Is anything amiss?" he asked sharply.  
  
"Not that I am aware of, my Lord," the servant said quickly. "I can send the messenger to you if you desire. He is having a meal in the Great Hall at the moment."  
  
"Nay," Legolas said, waving the servant away. "I will read the letter and let you know if I desire to speak with him."  
  
He sat down on the divan and tore open the seal. Alede hovered anxiously nearby, watching as the worried lines on Legolas' face relaxed.  
  
"Is everything well?" she asked finally.  
  
He nodded and smiled. "My brother has never sent a messenger before, so I was concerned. He writes to tell me that he is thinking of putting my niece Thrania up for adoption . . ."  
  
Alede laughed, remembering well the precocious little girl who looked so much like Legolas.  
  
"Apparently she has turned into a hellion with her Grandfather not there to spoil her," Legolas continued. "He also writes to ask if Father ever intends to return. He and Elvothien would like to move into the royal apartments if Father means to abdicate his throne."  
  
Alede chuckled again, knowing that there was little chance of that happening.  
  
Legolas shook his head. "I would be delighted to have Father return to the Greenwood, but he has informed me, and apparently Franduil as well, that he will stay here all winter."  
  
"Oh dear. Really?" Alede asked, sinking down onto the divan beside him. "I did not know. His work with Romiël is going well, I believe . . ."  
  
"Humph!" Legolas snorted. "Very well indeed."  
  
Alede started to ask what he meant by that. She still was not sure how Legolas would react to the obvious romance developing between Thranduil and Romiël. Had he noticed it or was he deliberately turning a blind eye to it?  
  
He changed the subject before she could say anything.  
  
"Come, it is nearly midmorning. We are due at the council." He jumped up off of the divan and helped Alede to her feet. "Then after lunch, I would like to show you the new plants we have started for the vineyard, if you wish to see them . . ."  
  
Alede nodded her eagerness. Legolas' kingdom and everything in it had already become very dear to her.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Their days fell into an easy routine. Alede divided her time between the healer's hall and Legolas. She found that she had very little time to spend with Radagast and Cyrus, but they seemed to be carrying on their magic well enough without her. Ithilien would vanish from the sight of mortals eventually under their careful magic.  
  
She helped Legolas oversee the planting of 200 delicate little grape plants, cuttings of the few survivors. Legolas fretted over them like a new mother and he and Alede spent many evenings with mud up to their elbows as they carried water from the river to the tiny vines.  
  
She teased him mercilessly about his 'babies' and often they both returned from the vineyard soaked to the skin because the teasing had turned into a dunk in the river.  
  
Gimli returned to his home in the autumn, just as the Culhalla trees were outdoing themselves and turning a brilliant crimson. Both Legolas and Alede were disappointed to see him leave, but knew they would rejoin him.  
  
At midwinter, they traveled to Minas Tirith for the annual celebration. There Alede finally met many of the people she had only heard of in legend; King Elessar and his beautiful queen Arwen and Lord Faramir and Eowyn. Gimli rejoined them as well.  
  
Alede listened in awe as they recounted their deeds in the war of the Ring. She, Arwen and Eowyn also spent many a delightful afternoon telling tales about their youth. Eowyn's adventures could fill a book and of course Arwen was eager to spin yarns about the mischievous doings of her two brothers.  
  
After the new year celebration, Legolas and Gimli reluctantly returned to their kingdoms. Alede however traveled with Eowyn into the lands of the Rohirrim where she was introduced to the formidable King Eomer. She stayed there for over a month treating the usual winter colds and infirmities, but eagerly returned to Ithilien in late winter.  
  
Eryn Culhallas had been transformed by the winter rains becoming a ghostly city of tall gray tree trunks and dark oaks shrouded in mist. But inside the pods and the Great Hall was warmth and merriment and the days passed contentedly.  
  
In the spring, two women arrived from the Greenwood to prepare Alede's wedding clothes. They had been ladies in waiting to Thranduil's queen and Alede found them quite intimidating. Her usual duties became supplanted by fittings. She spent hours standing upon a stool while the two women circled her and stuck pins into bits of gossamer fabric.  
  
Alede found it enormously tedious.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Hurry my Lady," one of the women said as she rushed into the room late in spring. "Take that off and put on your wedding gown."  
  
"But why?" Alede asked, looking up from where she had nearly dozed off. The other ladies maid was pinning a casual gown of so many layers, Alede was certain she would never be able to get out of it.  
  
"The groom comes to inspect the marriage clothes," the woman said as she helped extract Alede from the prickly material.  
  
"Inspect them?" Alede asked. "Why would he inspect them?"  
  
"Tis an ancient tradition, my Lady. The groom always inspects the bride's clothing before the wedding."  
  
The whole idea sounded terribly pompous to Alede. "To see if they live up to his expectations?" she asked. She was certain that Thranduil was somehow behind all of this, but it surprised her that Legolas would go along with it.  
  
*Well, there's a good bit of Thranduil in him whether I like it or not.*  
  
Oddly enough, Alede decided that she liked it. When the maid answered her, it took Alede a moment to remember what they had been talking about.  
  
"He inspects them to see that they live up to your expectations, Lady," the maid explained with a slightly scandalized expression, as if Alede were some village urchin in need of instruction. "After all, you will be married for eternity now, so he begins it by seeing that he does you the greatest honor he can."  
  
Alede felt slightly guilty. Here was an ancient and obviously very lovely tradition and she had already made light of it.  
  
"I am sorry," Alede said as they tugged the last bits of the wedding gown into place and swept her hair over her shoulders. "I'm afraid I know little of your marriage customs. I did not mean offence."  
  
The maids were only slightly mollified. Obviously they thought she intended to disgrace their prince. Alede wished that her own ladies maid, Nimhith, were allowed to attend her instead of these haughty Elves from Mirkwood.  
  
They turned her toward the mirror and she forgot her irritation for the moment. The gown was incredibly lovely. Layer upon layer of the sheerest silk draped her. Sewn with pure mithril threads, it glowed like starlight. She knew that it must be worth a fortune and had a difficult time believing it was hers. According to another custom, which she was familiar with, she would wear this gown every year on their anniversary. . . for the rest of eternity.  
  
Unless of course, I am with child, she thought. And then a thrill of excitement went through her. She had always wanted children, but to have Legolas' children. Goose bumps broke out all over her skin and she was positively tingling when the door behind her opened and Legolas walked in.  
  
He was dressed all in pale green like a newly opened leaf and someone had placed a gold circlet on his forehead. Their eyes met in the mirror and the maids immediately pulled back.  
  
Alede wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Was there a formal procedure for this viewing of the wedding clothes? She hoped fervently that she would not disappoint Legolas.  
  
Turning around slowly to face him, she dropped him a graceful curtsy. Legolas returned the courtesy with a nod.  
  
Without saying a word, he walked all around her, examining the gown from all angles. When he came back to face her, his expression was still serious, but there was a delighted twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"Does your gown please you, my Lady?"  
  
"Yes, my Lord. It is very beautiful and of the greatest quality." Alede thought she saw the maids relax out of the corner of her eye. Apparently she'd passed the first test.  
  
"And what of your other clothes? Do they please you?"  
  
"Indeed my Lord, they are all exceedingly lovely. They are a most generous gift and I am pleased beyond words." Now the maids were smiling, as was Legolas, though it was barely noticeable. But Alede was well used to that small cat like curl of his lips that meant he was hiding his amusement. He knew full well that she was being formal only because of the ladies maids' oppressive presence.  
  
The maids stepped forward. "Is there anything else you would like to see, my Lord?"  
  
"Yes. The gown for the wedding night."  
  
Alede looked up in alarm at those words and found herself confronted once again with that feline smile. The two maids hurried her into the other room and began stripping the gown off of her. Alede cringed when they brought out the diaphanous bit of nothing that was to be her nightdress. Legolas had seen her naked before, but not in the presence of others.  
  
She barely had time to feel uncomfortable before they were dragging her out into the main room again and once more Legolas prowled around her.  
  
"Mmm . . ." When he walked behind her he made that sound, soft and low in his throat, she thought her knees might buckle. It was somehow a cross between a tiny moan and a purr. It was a sound that positively made Alede's toes curl.  
  
She was breathing hard by the time he faced her once again and her nipples were pricked tightly against the silky fabric, a fact which, she was sure, was plainly evident to him and everyone else in the room.  
  
"Does it please you, my Lady?" Legolas asked and Alede wondered if he meant the sound he had made or the gown.  
  
Either way, her answer was the same. "Very much so, my Lord."  
  
"Is there anything else you require?"  
  
"No, your Lordship has been most generous."  
  
Legolas really smiled at that and Alede knew he was amused at how well she was playing along with a ritual that she knew nothing about.  
  
"Have you decided which bed is to be our communal bed?" he asked.  
  
"Our . . .?" she shook her head in bewilderment.  
  
"I assumed we would use mine. On the nights that you require privacy, you may have your own room. If that is agreeable to you?"  
  
Alede had forgotten the customs of royalty. Typically the woman slept in her own room except when her husband wished her to be with child. But that was the traditions of human royalty, was it not? She had not thought Elves to be so distant, but perhaps she was mistaken.  
  
"I had hoped." she began but suddenly stopped when she remembered the maids in the room.  
  
With a flick of his wrist, Legolas sent them out.  
  
"You had hoped?" Legolas prompted and he wore a gentle smile.  
  
"I had hoped that we would share a bed each night, as we have from time to time. But I know not your people's customs. My own parents always shared a bed, and I suppose I just assumed." she stumbled to a halt, trying to not let him hear her keen disappointment.  
  
He reached out and cupped the side of her face with his hand, brushing her lip with his thumb in a gesture that had become so dear to her.  
  
"I would hope that we might share a bed each night also. But I realize that on the solstice moon you may not wish for my company, so you will retain your own room if you want it. As for myself, I would wish to share a bed with you every night regardless. But it is up to you."  
  
"Oh . . ." The solstice moon was when Elvin woman bled, on that one night only. Alede had been fortunate enough to inherit that one trait from her Elvin grandmother. Oddly enough she was not ashamed that Legolas had brought it up. This was a subject that she had been instructing young girls in for centuries. Elvin males were not embarrassed about it as human males were.  
  
"I had not realized what you meant," she said with obvious relief. "I would be happy to have your bed as our communal bed," she said to him. "But what about you? Might there be a time when you simply wish to be alone? You are a solitary person at times. I would hope that you would tell me if you wish privacy. I would not be offended."  
  
Legolas appeared to consider her suggestion. "Yes, there may be nights when I wish to invite my mistresses over. There are at least six or seven of them."  
  
He never finished the joke, because Alede made a grab for his ear.  
  
"Careful, Melui," he said as he jumped out of her range. "We'll want everything in working order by next week, and more than just my ears. And now, I had best leave or else that lovely nightdress will need to be re- sewn." He gave her a roguish wink and left the room, leaving Alede in a state of euphoria and panic.  
  
Next week!  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The weeks before the marriage ceremony went by in a blur for Legolas. His father had summoned tailors for him as well and they were constantly pestering him with fabrics and fittings. Mändel took over the everyday governing and Legolas had never been more grateful for his steward.  
  
Gimli arrived with the golden marriage rings, just when Legolas was beginning to panic. They were breathtakingly beautiful, as he knew they would be, with the Eryn Culhallas oak leaves embossed upon them. He embarrassed the Dwarf by hugging him in the middle of the Great Hall during dinner.  
  
Guests began arriving a few days before the wedding. Another pod had been erected on the other side of Thranduil's, equal in splendor. It was for King Elessar. Aragorn eyed the long stars dubiously when he arrived, but Arwen exclaimed, "How beautiful!" and began climbing them with light steps.  
  
Aragorn gave his wife a dark look and then one to Legolas. The Elf merely laughed and clapped him on the back. "Surely you have not lost your vigor while sitting upon a throne," Legolas teased. "I remember a Ranger who could out climb all of us on the quest."  
  
"Everyone save you," Aragorn replied with a grin before following his wife up into the Culhalla.  
  
The arrival of Elrohir and Elladan late one evening created quite a stir. Legolas experienced a twinge of jealousy when their arrival was announced. Arwen trotted down her long steps quickly, but it was Alede who reached Elrohir first. She flew into his arms with such force that Legolas saw him stagger.  
  
But he heard only joy in her song as she greeted her old friends and knew his jealousy was ridiculous. Going to greet the twins himself, he was engulfed in hugs and slapped upon the back.  
  
"I am so sorry," Elrohir said, after greeting him.  
  
"Sorry?" Legolas queried. "For what?"  
  
"For this burden you bear," Elrohir said solemnly.  
  
"Burden?" Legolas was completely confused.  
  
"Aye," Elrohir answered. "The burden of being stuck with Alede for the rest of your days. Tis a sorry state of affairs . . ."  
  
He jumped quickly as Alede swatted his arm and Legolas laughed.  
  
"I agree," Thranduil said behind them, before throwing a conspiratorial wink at Legolas and stepping forward to greet the sons of Elrond.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"I am very proud of you, Son," Thranduil said as he stood in front of Legolas.  
  
After a frenzied day of activity, the royal dressers had been dismissed and Legolas was finally garbed in the finest of silk. A rich cloak of green velvet stitched with Mithril thread swung over one shoulder. The elaborate tunic and leggings hugged him like a second skin. His doeskin boots gleamed in the late evening sun and Thranduil reverently placed a crown of gilt oak and Culhalla leaves upon his brow.  
  
"Thank you, Father," Legolas said as he bowed his head to accept the crown. "I owe much to you. I learned more from you at those days at court than I realized. I know I was not always an eager student . . ."  
  
Thranduil snorted and stepped back to admire the young Elf in front of him. "Eager? I seem to remember many times that I had to track you down in the wood and physically haul your stubborn butt back into the palace."  
  
Legolas burst into laughter. His father rarely spoke so openly.  
  
Thranduil laughed softly as well. "But obviously some of my instruction sunk in. You have a good mind and that is the most important aspect for rule. This is a healthy kingdom and it will become prosperous. I predict a happy future for you and Alede."  
  
"And you are no longer displeased with my choice of wife?" Legolas asked, though he already knew the answer. Alede had gone out of her way to charm Thranduil and she was genuinely fond of him, despite what had happened between them years ago.  
  
Thranduil scowled at him. "I believe you already know the answer to your question. However, if it is so important to you, I will apologize . . ."  
  
Legolas held up a hand to stop his father. "Nay, do not apologize!" he said with a mock look of astonishment. "For if you were to admit that you might have been wrong about something I would probably faint and sink right down into these boots."  
  
"Insolent child!" Thranduil snapped, but Legolas saw the telltale twitch at the corner of the King's mouth. "It seems I have two insolent children. Franduil included a letter to me amongst his gifts for you. It seems that he and Elvothien have moved into my rooms and Thrania has broken the posts off of my bed. Something about her tying a rope to them and swinging . . ."  
  
Thranduil shook his head in mock sadness, though Legolas knew that little Thrania could do no wrong in her grandfather's eyes. And he suspected that the tale was a fabrication of Franduil's anyway. His older brother had enjoyed teasing Thranduil about abdicating the throne and was probably enjoying having Mirkwood to himself.  
  
Thranduil reached out and straightened the cloak on Legolas' shoulder.  
  
"Shall we go down, Son? I believe your bride awaits you."  
  
A jolt of pure excitement and happiness went through Legolas.  
  
"Aye. Immediately."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"You look like a queen," Radagast said, snuffling a bit as he held back tears of pride.  
  
Alede gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and surveyed her gown once more in the mirror. She thought that she did indeed look well in it. Excitement had pinkened her cheeks and her green eyes snapped with delight. Nimhith had woven small flowers into her hair and Gimli's pendant and Legolas' locket glistened at her throat.  
  
Radagast reached up to pluck at the shoulders of her gown just a bit.  
  
"It is rather . . . uhm . . . revealing, is it not?" he asked worriedly.  
  
Alede glanced down at the low cut neckline of her gown. For once she could be proud of her generous curves and not try to hide them as she had always done around her prudish father.  
  
"The gown is a traditional style, Father, and I have seen much more immodest ones on human maidens. This is quite lovely."  
  
"Well, yes . . . it is. I just," Radagast paused awkwardly. "I wish that your mother was here to talk to you . . ."  
  
Alede turned at the worried tone in her father's voice. What could possibly be bothering him so on her wedding day?  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I just . . . ehem! wish that your mother were here to talk to you about tonight."  
  
"Tonight?" Alede was completely baffled. Her mother had known nothing of elvish wedding ceremonies as far as she knew.  
  
"The uhm . . . wedding night."  
  
"Oh!" Realization suddenly dawned on Alede and she had to fight to hide laughter. If her prudish father only knew how eager she was for the wedding night and that she was not nearly as chaste as he thought her to be.  
  
"I never really explained to you about, well . . . what goes on between a husband and a wife . . ."  
  
Alede finally lost her battle and laughed, but she quickly turned it into a cough. "Father, do not distress yourself. Elrond explained all of that when I was quite young."  
  
"He did?" Radagast's eyebrows shot up. "He . . . er . . . I know that you were quite fond of Elrohir. He did not . . . er . . . demonstrate any of it, did he?"  
  
I could only wish, Alede thought hiding both amusement and exasperation. Were all wizards as prudish as her father? For some reason she did not think so. She could not imagine Gandalf being so uptight, but she had never known him well enough.  
  
"Father, Elrohir never compromised my virtue if that is what you are worried about."  
  
Radagast was visibly relieved. "I am glad to hear it. One never knows about these Elves. Shortly after our arrival, I spoke with Legolas and seemed quite surprised by my request."  
  
Alede stopped where she was, one hand upon the door. "Request?" her voice shook with alarm. "What request did you make of Legolas?"  
  
Radagast looked up, obviously surprised by her tone. "Why, to not dishonor you of course."  
  
Alede felt herself go rigid with anger. "Father, you had no right to say that to him! Do you realize the insult of your words? He is an Elvin prince! Nothing he could do would dishonor me!"  
  
Radagast looked troubled. "I did not mean to anger you, daughter, especially tonight. I only did what I thought was best for you."  
  
Alede bit back angry words. The last thing she wanted was to fight with her father right now. The ceremony would begin in only a few moments.  
  
Shaking her head, she opened the door and walked to the steps.  
  
"Do not forget the chest with my wedding chain," she said quietly and then descended the steps.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Can you not see from where you are?" Legolas asked as he took his place at the end of the clearing. Radagast stood quietly beside him, but Aragorn and Gimli crowded upon his heals.  
  
"We only wish to see that you do not escape," Aragorn drawled in that easy voice of his that could hold both laughter and mischief and still sound serious.  
  
"Nay, he will not try to escape," Gimli pronounced wisely. "Alede has got her hooks into him for good this time. My only concern is that he will faint and get dirt on those pretty clothes of his."  
  
"You are both irreverent," Legolas said out of the corner of his mouth as more people took their places. "Had I time, I would teach both of you a lesson on how to treat Elvin royalty."  
  
"He would definitely get his clothes dirty if he did that," Aragorn whispered to Gimli.  
  
Gimli gave a bark of laughter, but Elrohir cut off any comment he would have made.  
  
"Any time you are ready, little brother," he said winking at Aragorn. "I think I can still beat you in a fair fight."  
  
The scathing comments would have continued had not Arwen given both her husband and brother quelling looks from where she sat at the head of one of the tables. She was fully aware of the mischief they could get into.  
  
Elrohir pasted a look of complete seriousness upon his face. In truth he was very honored. Alede had asked him to stand as her witness and he would not spoil her wedding day for anything.  
  
Looking across, he noticed that Legolas had gone completely still as well. As he turned to look at where the young prince's gaze fell, he burst into a proud grin.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede watched as her father handed Thranduil the wedding chain and then walked off to the clearing where the ceremony would be held. She could not help but give him an angry glace as he left them.  
  
"Alede?" Thranduil's voice was gentle as he spoke her name. "Something is amiss. What is it, child?"  
  
Alede turned to him, barely even noticing his grand clothing or the ornate crown upon his brow.  
  
"I am so angry with my father! He has just told me of something that he said to Legolas months ago and I am furious with him!" She dashed a tear from her cheek. "I love him. I really do. But there are some subjects on which he is a complete buffoon and I am thoroughly ashamed of him." She choked on a sob and tried to turn away from Thranduil, but the King caught her around the shoulders and pulled her gently to his chest.  
  
"There, there," he said softly, gently rubbing her back as her sobs turned into real tears. "None of us chose our parents, Alede, and there are times when all children must be ashamed of them."  
  
Alede sniffled and looked up at him.  
  
"Do you believe that Oropher was an easy father to have?"  
  
For some reason that question struck her as funny. "Nay," she said with a small laugh and a hiccup. "I cannot imagine the warrior king, Oropher to be easy no matter what one's relation to him."  
  
Thranduil chuckled. "Nay, he was not. Come! Dry your tears. What ever your father said to Legolas, I have sensed no ill will toward Radagast in him, so all is well."  
  
"I suppose I have no reason to complain," Alede said while wiping her face with the handkerchief Thranduil handed her. "I am certain that you would have chosen a daughter in law more to your liking."  
  
"Nay," Thranduil said, taking her hand and tucking it securely on his arm. "I am well pleased with Legolas' choice."  
  
And with those astonishing words, he led her to the clearing and Alede's anger fell away like snow in a thaw.  
  
The clearing had been transformed. Where it had been dark and mysterious on the night of their betrothal ceremony, this evening it was filled with torches and bright garlands of flowers. Tables groaned under the weight of a sumptuous feast and flutes played brightly. The people, once foreign and strange to her, were now familiar and dear. She smiled as caught Elrohir's gaze. He was grinning at her as if she were a little sister and she could not help but feel proud of his as well as he stood in magnificent white opposite Legolas.  
  
But then all else was forgotten as she looked at Legolas. He was more handsome than she had ever seen him and the smile on his face matched her own. His song reached out to her, so full, so vibrant she wondered if all the company could hear it.  
  
Letting go of Thranduil's arm, she reached out as Legolas clasped both of her hands in his.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Elvish ceremonies were usually quite simple. There was no one to preside over them as in human marriages. The bride and the groom each had a witness or two to stand up with them. They spoke words of promise to each other, the wedding chain was bound around their hands and then they shared food afterward. In the case of royalty, there was a celebration for the entire kingdom.  
  
Before the ceremony, Alede had carefully memorized vows which she had heard spoken at a human wedding south of the Shire. She had translated them into Quenya and the night before the ceremony had cornered Elrohir and recited the vow to him so that he might check her translation.  
  
Elrohir had dropped to his knee and clasped both hands over his heart and declared, "Alede, my darling! I am enraptured. I am honored! I am . . ."  
  
"An idiot!" Alede had snapped at his foolishness. "Just tell me if I got the Quenya right!"  
  
Elrohir had risen laughing and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "It is beautiful."  
  
But now that the time had come to speak those words to Legolas before all of his people, she suddenly found that her memory had dried up as much as her mouth. She stumbled through what should have been an elegant speech and later the only words she clearly remembered saying were, "I promise to love and cherish you for all of my life and beyond."  
  
But in spite of her ineloquence, Legolas seemed pleased by her words. His song nearly flooded her with his joy. His own words were far more simple and much more beautiful.  
  
"I give you, Alede, my heart, my soul and my very life. Every thought, every breath is yours from now unto eternity."  
  
The tears that had been threatening to spill over Alede's eyes now ran freely down her cheeks. Legolas too had to dash away moisture on his face, but he was smiling as she had never seen him before.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Legolas saw his father approaching with the wedding chain, but he was too overwhelmed to care. Leaning forward, he tasted Alede's lips in a soft caress. She returned the kiss happily.  
  
"None of that!" Thranduil snapped, but his voice lacked its usual irritation. Legolas chuckled and pulled back from Alede just enough that his father could wrap the chain about their joined hands.  
  
And then the King was hugging them both and turning them to face Legolas' people. They bowed to the assembly and the enormity of the situation finally sunk in for Legolas.  
  
He was married.  
  
To Alede.  
  
With a cry of joy, he wrapped one arm around her waist, hoisted her off of her feet and spun her around. Alede let out a little cry of delight and his people laughed and cheered.  
  
The dinner was a little awkward with Alede's left hand bound to Legolas' right, but they managed to feed each other little bits of the sumptuous meal, though truly neither of them noticed the food much.  
  
Legolas had an endearing way of pressing his forehead to Alede's and touching the tip of his nose to hers. It tickled slightly, but Alede would not have him stop for anything. Nor did she care about propriety. Elvin people normally did not flaunt their displays of affection, but no one seemed to care on this momentous day.  
  
King Elessar made a short and heartfelt toast. Gimli also gave them quite a speech, made a bit more longwinded perhaps by the vast quantities of ale he had consumed. Thranduil was rolling his eyes by the time the Dwarf lifted his glass to the couple, but said nothing.  
  
Legolas however gave a very gracious and eloquent thank you to everyone there. But once he had finished it, he pulled Alede to her feet and unwound the wedding chain.  
  
"Let the celebration begin!" he cried and a huge shout of approval rose up and bright music started. Legolas took time only to wrap the wedding chain about Alede's waist, where it hung winking in the torchlight, before he swept her out into a rollicking dance.  
  
"I don't know the steps!" she gasped. Elrohir had spent months teaching her the intricate steps of the formal Elvish dances, but Legolas seemed to not be following any of the rules.  
  
"Just go with me," he cried as he swung her out into the circle of people.  
  
Alede gave a girlish squeal, but somehow managed to keep her feet and not step on his. It was less like a dance and more like a frolicking gallop around the meadow and soon both of them were laughing.  
  
They danced until Alede was out of breath and when they stumbled to a stop, Radagast engulfed her in a rib-crushing hug. She had only time to kiss his cheek, her anger forgotten, but then Thranduil politely extricated her from his embrace and pulled her out into one of the formal dances.  
  
Alede rejoiced when the steps were familiar to her and could not help the smile on her face. Though she much preferred Legolas' company, there was something rather grand about dancing with the King of Eryn Lasgalen. She spoiled the grandness though once it was over with by throwing her arms about his neck and hugging him tightly.  
  
"I love you, Father," she said loud enough for several people to hear.  
  
But Thranduil did not seem to mind and as he kissed her forehead, he said quite clearly, "As I love you, daughter. May you both be happy."  
  
Then he handed her back to Legolas who was enormously pleased by the affection he saw between the two. Alede watched Thranduil turn eagerly toward Romiël. Her crippled foot did not allow her to dance, but much later in the evening, Alede was certain that she saw the two of them in each other's arms stepping softly to the music. She could not help but admire them. Romiël had regained much of her ethereal beauty and her slender form was striking in contrast with Thranduil's imposing figure.  
  
The celebration lasted well into the night, but finally Legolas leaped upon one of the tables so that his people might hear him.  
  
"My good folk," he began and the music stopped and everyone turned toward him. "I thank you for your good wishes, your gifts and most especially your good company. I am most honored that you have shared this celebration with us." He paused as his people clapped and cheered.  
  
"I bid you to continue making merry, but my wife and I must beg you to give us leave to retire. Good night and may Ilúvatar bless you as He has blessed me!"  
  
Another cheer went up and then Legolas leaped down, leading Alede from the clearing. Several people called out good wishes for them and a few made teasing remarks.  
  
"Pinch him until he howls, Alede!"  
  
"Try not to shake all the leaves off of your Culhalla tree!"  
  
Legolas ignored the ribald comments with a good natured grin and Alede tried not to be embarrassed, though in truth she was really too happy to care.  
  
But it was Elrohir's comment that earned the son of Elrond a scathing look from Legolas.  
  
"If he disappoints you, Alede," Elrohir shouted, "I'll be waiting, though my heart is broken!"  
  
Alede laughed and waved to Elrohir. But she quickly turned, sensing just a trace of jealousy in her new husband and kissed his cheek, erasing the glower from his fair face.  
  
Legolas chuckled then and hugged her, making a face at Elrohir over the top of her head. He caught Alede's hand and they ran laughing as they made their way in the darkness to Legolas' Culhalla, the crowd forgotten as soon as they reached it. He paused on the steps and Alede caught her breath.  
  
Legolas turned to her and the laughter fled from his face, replaced by a look that made her insides turn to jelly.  
  
"Now, my Lady, allow me to make you mine, as I will become yours."  
  
Alede nodded solemnly and followed him up the long stairs, her feet never seeming to even touch them.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: Well, I hope all of you enjoyed the wedding. Join me next week for chapter 16, "Wedding Night". :D  
  
Extra special thanks to Thecla and Nadia for the "ribald" suggestions! lol! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when they sent me those! :D  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens.  
  
Romion - Romiel's brother and also a captive of Sauron for 700 years. 


	16. Wedding Night

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 16 ~ "Wedding Night"  
  
"You are nervous," Legolas said softly as he drew Alede into his bedchamber. He spoke the words as a statement, not a question, for he could feel the slight trepidation in her song.  
  
Alede glanced around his room, giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts. The glass balcony doors were open admitting a soft breeze. Music from the clearing drifted in faintly as well. She had seen his bedchamber many times, late at night when they were still discussing something, once when they had been drenched in a rain storm and he came in to put on a dry tunic, or the few times she had slept there with him, but now . . .  
  
Now the rich wooded walls were only a backdrop to the luminous being in front of her. Alede stepped closer to him, looking up into the twilight depths of his eyes, the long skirts of her wedding gown rustling softly in the quietness of the room.  
  
"I'm not very skilled at love making. I do not wish to disappoint you, so I suppose I am a little nervous," she said smiling shyly.  
  
"So am I."  
  
Alede's eyes widened in surprise. "You are? But . . ."  
  
Legolas gave her that wide Elvin shrug. "We will be married for all of eternity. This is my only chance to make a good first impression."  
  
Alede burst out laughing as he hoped that she would. He winked at her and she threw her arms around him, hugging him hard, realizing that he was trying to make her feel at ease.  
  
Legolas grasped her waist and lifted her into the air, spinning her around, a look of joy on his face and a celebration of notes in his song. They both laughed out of sheer happiness, but when Legolas set her on her feet again, the bubbles of joy in their song changed to something deeper and richer.  
  
"Melui . . ." Legolas whispered and his hands reached up to the flowers braided into her hair, loosening them so that his fingers could comb through the wavy strands. He brought one golden lock to his lips and kissed it.  
  
Alede felt her knees tremble at his tender gesture. All her nerves tingled as his warm hands slid through her hair. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back slightly, enjoying his touch, enjoying the warm scent of his skin as he stood so close to her.  
  
Legolas looked down at her. Alede's lips were slightly parted and in the soft candlelight he thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever known. He drank in the sight of her, watched the tiny pulse at the base of her throat, admired the pert tilt of her nose and the sweep of tawny lashes that lay against her cheeks.  
  
"Alede . . . my sweet, Alede," he whispered. "Long have I wanted you and long have I loved you. You are so precious to me. Like the rising sun, you illuminate the lonely path my soul once walked. I am yours."  
  
Alede could only gaze at him in wonder. His words had touched her to the depths of her own soul and she trembled with the force of her love and her desire for him.  
  
Reaching up, she touched his face tenderly and watched, entranced as he kissed each of her fingertips. Then she reached around and gently loosened the single elegant braid in the back of his hair, pulling the silken strands forward over his shoulders and sliding her fingers through it. She closed her eyes as if touching him were her greatest wish. Her fingers traveled down, softly touching his throat and brushing over the high collar of his tunic.  
  
Her eyes opened and her fingers hesitated over the top fastening. She smiled up at him a little nervously and waited, her eyes asking a question.  
  
Legolas brushed his lips over her knuckles, granting her permission and she felt the flare of his desire leap to new heights, her own following it with breathtaking eagerness. She unfastened the first loop, then the next and then the third. Pushing the fabric aside, Alede stood on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his throat.  
  
It was a simple little kiss, but it ignited the fire that was already burning within Legolas. He could feel the 'aman coire', the blessed awakening, beginning. It was the joining of their songs, a joining even deeper than what they had shared before. It was the eternal bond.  
  
Reaching down, he brought Alede's hand gently up to the side of his face and closed his eyes. With his song, he projected all of his reverence, all of his love for her.  
  
Alede gasped and looked at him in surprise as her own song blended and harmonized with his creating an exquisite symphony.  
  
"What is happening?" she asked softly.  
  
"It is called the 'aman coire'. It is the sharing of song between husband and wife, between eternal lovers."  
  
"I don't understand. We have already shared song. This is something special, something different . . ." she shook her head, unable to express her thoughts.  
  
"Aman coire goes beyond what we have already known. Before we shared a part of ourselves, now we become a part of each other," he explained.  
  
But Alede still did not understand and Legolas continued. "Our minds have been singing to each other since that day I shared song with you in Mirkwood. Now our songs will harmonize, two separate instruments weaving one melody."  
  
He placed a gentle hand upon the side of her throat, delicately touching her pulse.  
  
"There will be other changes as well. When we make love, your heart will beat in time with mine and you will feel my emotions as I will feel yours."  
  
"But I already feel your emotions," Alede whispered, her eyes wide with wonder and longing.  
  
Legolas shook his head. "Nay, at this moment we can only 'read' each other's emotions. From what I have been told, the aman coire is something entirely different."  
  
"Then you have never experienced this?" Alede asked, a little surprised. Legolas seemed so much more vastly experienced than she.  
  
Smiling down at her, he said, "I have never taken an eternal lover before, so I know little more than you do."  
  
Alede took a deep breath, smiling with relief. She had always felt more than a tinge of jealousy over Legolas' former lovers. There had been times, five years before, when that jealousy was turned to pain because of her despair. But at this moment, she felt honored and special. She would be Legolas' eternal lover, the one who would share the same song with him forever.  
  
"Then we will come to understand it together," she said, nearly bursting with her joy. Taking his hand, she placed a tender kiss upon his palm, then, barely hesitating, she slid his hand down over the material of her gown and let it rest upon her breast.  
  
Legolas took in a deep breath as well and stroked his thumb across the finely embroidered fabric, seeking the hard nub beneath. Alede tipped her head back as he touched her, swaying against him as she felt their mutual need overwhelm her.  
  
Seized by a very un-Elvin impatience, Legolas wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her, devouring her mouth, reveling in her taste and the strong thread of desire that sang in their songs. He felt her passion, like a banked fire waiting to be kindled by his love.  
  
Alede's hands were moving over his shoulders and into his hair, tugging and caressing. She could feel his smoldering emotions, barely kept in check and thought that she might go up in flame from the heat of his desire.  
  
He released her long enough to open the first button of her gown. He kissed the soft skin he had exposed and then he opened the next and the next, until he was able to help her step from the voluminous fabric. She held onto him as she kicked off her tiny slippers.  
  
He untied the many ribbons of her chemise. Once he had pushed the silky fabric off her shoulders, he dropped to one knee and suckled one nipple into his mouth. Alede groaned and sunk her fingers into his hair. Her mouth was parted and her breath came in soft little pants. Her heart seemed to be pounding to an unfamiliar beat and she knew it was Legolas' passion that mingled with hers. She would have staggered if not for the strength of his hands upon her hips. As it was, she swayed and clutched at his shoulders while he laved her sensitive skin.  
  
Eager to explore him further, Alede sank down to her knees in front of Legolas, bringing his fine hands to her mouth and kissing each of his fingers. There was a chair behind him and she gently pushed him onto it. Not caring that she knelt before him naked, she reached up to finish unfastening his tunic, then together they tugged off his doeskin boots and the rest of his clothing.  
  
Legolas would have stood up to walk to the bed, but Alede prevented him by laying the side of her face upon his thigh.  
  
"It was right here," she said, drawing ticklish little circles upon his skin. "Right here was the wound that I thought might kill you," she whispered, referring to when he had been captive in Orthanc so many years ago. "And it was when I was cutting the stitches from this wound that you teased me and deliberately frightened me. I fell in love with you at that moment and knew I was lost to you."  
  
Legolas smiled and Alede felt as if all her bones had melted. Those dimples of his had charmed her from the start.  
  
"And it was from that moment," Legolas said, "that I too, knew my life would be intertwined with yours, though I did not realize my love for you then." He tipped her chin up and looked at her seriously. "I do now."  
  
"I know," she whispered, smiling up at him radiantly. Then she went back to nuzzling his thigh with the side of her face. Timidly, she leaned forward and nuzzled him somewhere else. Legolas sucked in a sharp breath and let his head fall back as she laved him with her tongue. His fingers threaded into her hair and he thought that Alede's tender exploration was far more erotic than even the most skilled of lovers could be. He knew that she could sense the wild exaltation of his emotions and it only encouraged her more. When he thought that he could stand it no longer, he nudged her up, lifting her in his arms and carried to the bed.  
  
"There is a rule among my people," he said, laying down upon the soft mattress beside her, an impish smile curling his fine mouth.  
  
"Oh?" Alede asked, the cool linens making her skin prickle even as she melted against Legolas' warmth.  
  
"It states that the husband has the right to torment his wife first, not the other way around."  
  
"Indeed?" Alede said with a laugh. "I have not heard of this rule. Are you sure you did not just make it up?"  
  
Legolas grinned. "I confess that I did. But since my word is law in this kingdom, you must obey."  
  
"Really?" there was just a hint of rebellion in Alede's eyes, before she spoke again. "And what other laws would you have me obey, my Lord?" she asked pertly.  
  
Legolas' smile faded to a look of tenderness and Alede felt just the tiniest trace of vulnerability through their song. "To love me for all of eternity."  
  
Alede caressed the side of his face. "That I will do with all my heart, Melui."  
  
"As will I," he replied.  
  
His mouth descended upon hers then claiming it with merciless skill, teasing, tugging with his teeth, then laving her parted lips with his tongue, priming her for its deeper invasion. His was the kiss of a king, enslaving her with his passionate will and with the promise of erotic pleasures to come. Alede knew that she would do anything for him and in return that she might ask any boon and have it granted.  
  
Then all conscious thoughts vanished as they learned the maps of each other's skin. Their songs joined in an orchestra of ecstasy that was as complete and as fulfilling as the joining of their bodies.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas lay on his side with his head propped up on one elbow watching Alede as she slept. He could not believe how precious she was to him. How had he survived all the long centuries without her? Now he could not imagine a day without her serene smile, her bright eyes.  
  
He sighed contentedly and stretched. Astonishingly enough, a few of his muscles twinged in protest, causing a satisfied smile to spread over his face. He had used them rather strenuously last night and Alede, despite her protestations that she was fairly inexperienced, had proved to be a quick learner.  
  
Grinning, he looked down at her again. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her hair lay upon the pillow in wild disarray, reminding him of the first time he had woken up next to her. She had been a stranger then, but her limbs had been draped over him, spreading warmth through his chilled body. When she had opened her eyes, he had marveled at their leafy color.  
  
He yearned to see those green eyes now, but by rolling over slightly, he could see that dawn was just barely tinting the sky.  
  
*I should let her sleep.*  
  
She had gotten little of it last night. But the temptation to see her eyes open and her lips smiling up at him was too much.  
  
Taking a lock of her tousled hair, he tickled the end of her nose with it. She made a small sound and wrinkled her nose like a rabbit. Suppressing a laugh, he did it again.  
  
This time, she wiggled around and pulled the blankets up over her face, leaving only her eyebrows peaking out. Legolas lost his battle then and laughed.  
  
Movement beneath the covers and the groggy murmur of her song, told him that she was finally awake, though it took her a disoriented moment to find her way out from under the blankets.  
  
"Good morning," she blinked up at him and her smile was as bright as a sunrise.  
  
"Good morning," and he pulled her close for a bone-crushing hug. They held each other for a long time, touching and caressing, exchanging soft words. But after a while, Legolas noticed Alede's hand was drifting lower and lower between them and her song was beginning to sing a melody that his knew quite well.  
  
"Tsk, tsk . . . what a wanton I am wed too," Legolas said shaking his head in mock dismay. **  
  
"Call me a wanton again," Alede challenged, "and I'll bite you."  
  
Legolas never missed a beat. "Wanton. Wild woman. Strumpet . . . Ai!"  
  
"Serves you right," Alede said, raising her head from where she had thrown back the blankets and bitten him.  
  
"I should have added that you were a vicious wanton. Look at the red mark you've left from biting me!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Uhm . . ." Alede began. "I don't think that 'red mark' is from me biting you. I think its because you're . . ." She gave a squeak of surprise as Legolas tackled her and pushed her giggling down onto the mattress. Her protests continued until they turned into soft sighs of pleasure.  
  
It was a very long time before they finally got out of bed.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas sat patiently while Alede finished the warrior's braid on the side of his hair. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth as she concentrated on getting it perfectly even. She had had to do the right side twice before she was satisfied with it.  
  
"I think that's got it," she said, straightening up and looking him over carefully.  
  
Legolas ran experienced fingers over the braids. After a couple thousand years, he no longer needed a mirror to check them.  
  
"Thank you, Melui," he said with a grin. She had been tending him from head to toe since they had gotten out of their bath. He stood up, his hands touching her tenderly and finished tying the ribbons of her gown, an activity that had gotten interrupted earlier.  
  
"Thank you," she said. "Do you still need to speak with Mändel with morning?"  
  
Legolas nodded. "Aye, though I hope not for long. He is going to usurp my kingdom if I do not make a few decisions soon. I have been too busy of late and he is slowly working himself into a fit of hysteria over my laxness," Legolas grinned. "And part of my function as Lord here is to keep Mändel from working himself into a fit."  
  
Alede chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Then join me for breakfast when you can. I don't know that I can be parted from you for more than half an hour or so."  
  
"Neither can I," he said, returning the kiss. Before he left, he added. "Whatever you do, do not seek out my father. He consumed enough wine last night to drink a dwarf under the table. I imagine that he is as surely as a wild boar this morning."  
  
Alede grinned at him, but after he had left, she walked out of the door in the direction of Thranduil's guest quarters.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: **Does anyone know what movie this quote comes from? "Tsk, tsk . . . what a wanton I am wed too." It is one of my very favorite movies, spoken by a ruggedly handsome actor with dark hair. Any guesses? :)  
  
****Hope you enjoyed this chapter - it's been a long haul getting those two in the sack, hasn't it? lol! I see from your wonderful reviews that many of you are still quite worried about that Death Spell of Zarraweth's *laughs evilly* and well you should be. ;) :D :D Find out what happens next week in chapter 17! ;)  
  
*** "Heart of a King": for those of you, wonderful people who are following that story, I'm afraid there won't be an update this week. Sorry! But I'm running behind. Anyone willing to come do my chores so I can work on it? :D :D :D  
  
***"Pirates of the Caribbean": Is anyone else just dying for that movie to come out, or am I the only one???!!! I adore pirate movies!!!!! (I know, a sure sign that I have bad taste - *sigh*) Have any of you noticed that the skull that is used for the logo is wearing the exact same bandana, beads, pieces of eight, etc. that Johnny Depp is wearing?? Go take a look at the wallpapers on the official sight - I swear they are the same. So that raises the question: does Johnny Depp's character come under the curse as well? Very interesting.  
  
***Legolaslover2003 - You watch Errol Flynn movies!!!????? Yippee! I thought I was the only person on the planet who did! My grandmother got me hooked on them. She shyly admitted to me one day that she had been madly in love with him in her twenties and I found that so amusing that I HAD to watch one of his movies. I ended up loving it! I love the romanticism, a far cut above today's movies and of course the swashbuckling and the sword fights.  
  
My favorite is "Captain Blood" and I adore "The Sea Hawks" and "Robin Hood". Have you seen any other good ones? I'm eagerly looking forward to "Pirates of the Caribbean." Orlando has reminded me of Errol from the very first, so it will be fun to see him in a pirate movie.  
  
And here's just a bit of trivia for you . . . Olivia de Havalind, who was so often Errol Flynn's leading lady, admitted many years after his death that she had been in love with him all those years, but never told him. Rather sad and romantic, eh?  
  
*** Original Character List ***  
  
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.  
  
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown  
  
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.  
  
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.  
  
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.  
  
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.  
  
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.  
  
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.  
  
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.  
  
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.  
  
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens.  
  
Romion - Romiel's brother and also a captive of Sauron for 700 years. 


	17. The Death Spell

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 17 ~ "The Death Spell"  
  
Legolas strode across the pathway toward the Great Hall. He could not help the grin on his face or the lightness of his step. He glanced back for a moment at his Culhalla and noticed Alede on the balcony. She waved to him cheerfully.  
  
Just the sight of his new bride set his heart to pounding, though he had left her only a moment before. Once he had his business with Mändel completed, he intended to hurry back to her.  
  
Spending the day in bed did not seem like such a bad idea, he thought with an impish look on his face. He might even get to see that incredibly gorgeous nightdress on Alede that had been made especially for their wedding night. Somehow, it had been forgotten last night.  
  
With that inspiring thought, he entered the Great Hall, eager to get his business with Mändel concluded. He spotted Elrohir and Elladan lounging comfortably at the dinning table. He gave them a wave and was not surprised when they got up to join him.  
  
"Everything in working order last night, Legolas?" Elrohir enquired with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"Where is Alede?" Elladan asked. "Has she tossed you out already?"  
  
Legolas grinned at their teasing, but said nothing.  
  
Elrohir turned to his twin with mock seriousness on his face. "Perhaps we should have given him written instructions before the wedding night. Poor Alede! How disappointed she must be today!"  
  
Elladan shook his head sadly. "Not able to rise to the occasion, eh, friend?"  
  
Elrohir nodded sagely. "No doubt Alede will be coming to find me at any moment."  
  
Legolas chuckled and put an arm about both of their shoulders. "My friends, if I were to tell you two bachelors even a tiny portion of what went on last night . . ." he paused dramatically, "you would spend the rest of your lives weeping into your pillows at night in regret and envy."  
  
Elrohir and Elladan both burst out laughing and Legolas gave them a grin and a final pat on the shoulder as he left them.  
  
Because he did not look back, he missed the look that passed briefly over Elrohir's face.  
  
A look that might have been regret.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Alede breezed across the bridge that connected King Thranduil's guest chamber and Legolas' home.  
  
Our home, she thought happily and could have hugged herself at the very notion. She was positively bubbling over with joy.  
  
The previous night had exceeded all her expectations. Legolas had astounded her with his tenderness and generosity, coaxing forth responses from her that she had not even known were within her. She had found herself loving him in ways that not even the experienced barmaid Betsy had spoken of.  
  
In return, she had awakened a passionate beast within Legolas that his calm exterior hid very well. At one point she had teasingly accused him of ravishing her.  
  
Alede smiled. There had been a lot of passion and tenderness last night. But there had been a great deal of laughter as well. She could not think of a more splendid combination.  
  
Their songs had sung together in a melody that reached the deepest depths of love and the highest peaks of joy. She could still feel its vibrations this morning as if Legolas had soaked into her skin and her mind. Reaching out, she touched her husband's mind lovingly before proceeding to her goal.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The King was already seated upon the tiny balcony outside his bedchambers. He appeared to be rather absently gazing up at the sunrise.  
  
Though she had not been invited, Alede went up to the table and sat down. She saw no reason for the King to eat alone, especially when she was bursting with happiness and a touch of mischief.  
  
"Good morning, Father."  
  
Thranduil eyed her with that tolerant look she was getting so used to.  
  
"You are up quite early," he remarked. "Is there some reason that you invade my breakfast?"  
  
"I merely wished to enjoy your cheerful company," Alede said, grinning. Across the table from her, Thranduil groaned slightly and rolled his eyes.  
  
"You are quite obnoxious under normal circumstances, but now that you are in this . . ." he paused searching for the right word, "giddy state, you are perfectly intolerable."  
  
Alede broke into another smile and completely undaunted by the severe look on his face, got up, skirted the table and kissed Thranduil soundly on the cheek.  
  
"By all that is sacred!" Thranduil swore, slamming his cutlery down. "What ails you, child?"  
  
"Not a thing," Alede said happily. "I have learned that that severe exterior of yours conceals a heart as large as Eryn Lasgalen."  
  
She grinned up at him, her eyes twinkling merrily. Thranduil was momentarily thunderstruck. Not even his own children were this impudent with him.  
  
"Has it occurred to you, Daughter, that my severe exterior just might . . ."  
  
"How many grandchildren would you like to have?" Alede interrupted mischievously.  
  
Thranduil stopped with his mouth open in mid sentence. He closed it with a snap of irritation and then covered his eyes with his hand momentarily as if he was seeking inner patience. But Alede was not fooled, she could see the telltale twitch of his mouth.  
  
"I have found the perfect method of silencing your lectures," she said, unable to restrain her giggles.  
  
"You are completely intolerable," Thranduil said, trying to keep his face straight. "You are an absolute nuisance and I . . ."  
  
"And you love me non the less," Alede said.  
  
Thranduil made a noise of exasperation and sat back in his chair, with his arms folded across his chest. His stern features might have daunted anyone else, but Alede had come to read the subtle play of emotions on his face quite well.  
  
Finally loosing the battle, Thranduil put his elbows on the table, resting his forehead in his hands and gave into his laughter. "I am certain that the Valar are punishing me for some transgression, but . . ." he looked up, a look on his face like none that Alede had ever seen before, "yes, I do love you, you silly girl, as if you were my own child."  
  
Alede's smile could have lit up a dark night. "As I love you, dear Father," she said.  
  
"Humph!" Thranduil snorted. "Now that that is settled, be gone! Do you not prefer the company of your new husband this morning?"  
  
"Legolas needed to speak with Mändel. He will probably be gone for half an hour at least and I am starving."  
  
Thranduil glanced at the bedchamber door behind him. "I am expecting company. Go away."  
  
Alede grinned knowingly. She could easily guess whom the King expected and who might be resting in the bedchamber. "Romiël tends to sleep late. I will be gone before she rises."  
  
Ignoring Thranduil's scowl, she set a jar that she had brought with her in front of him.  
  
Thranduil snorted and picked up the jar.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
"Honey," Alede replied. "Honey with black currants stirred into it."  
  
"Indeed?" Thranduil's scowl vanished and he opened the jar with interest, but not before he had passed the hot loaf of bread to her. They each spread the thick honey over their slices of bread. Alede noticed that Thranduil had slathered enough on his that it was in danger of oozing off the sides. But he closed his eyes as he bit into it and seemed well pleased.  
  
Alede smiled. She had not forgotten his sweet tooth and fully intended to indulge him.  
  
They ate in companionable silence. Birds twittered in the treetops and the sounds of Eryn Culhallas waking drifted up to them. Somewhere down below she heard Legolas' voice and knew that he was making his way back to her. A feeling of happiness tickled her stomach as she realized he had cut his meeting with Mändel short in order to return to her.  
  
The sun cleared the tops of the trees and shone warmly upon her face. Alede closed her eyes, tilting her chin up to the bright rays. She had never felt happier or more at peace than on this first day of summer.  
  
The scraping of a chair made her open her eyes. Thranduil stood opposite her, a look of alarm upon his face.  
  
"What . . .?" But then Alede felt it as well. A sickly vibration hovered in the air like the smell of carrion. Alede slowly stood up and turned around.  
  
"It's a spell," she said to Thranduil over her shoulder.  
  
"Yes, but where is it coming from?" he asked sharply.  
  
"I know not," Alede began, but a terrible suspicion came to her. The spell had a certain feel to it, a certain signature. "Zarraweth . . ." she breathed.  
  
"How can that be!? You told me that she was dead!"  
  
"She was dead," Alede said turning. "But she may have set something in motion before she . . ."  
  
"Alede!" Thranduil cried suddenly. "Beware!"  
  
Alede whirled back around. A rent in the fabric of the air appeared before her. There was blackness in its depths and foul words whispered and gibbered against her ears. A bright dagger appeared in the tear and just as Alede screamed and threw her hands up in front of her, strong hands grabbed her shoulder, wrenching her sideways.  
  
Alede fell to the floor with a gasp and the knife hovered menacingly in the air.  
  
"Alede! Are you injured?" Thranduil cried, still poised to lunge at the magical knife.  
  
She did not answer. Cold, fierce pain filled her senses. Warmth was soaking down the front of her abdomen and she looked down to see her bright blood staining the fabric. The knife had slashed her as Thranduil had tried to drag her out of its path, tearing the silky fabric of her gown and the delicate skin beneath.  
  
Alede was only vaguely aware of Romiël stepping out onto the balcony, blinking in the bright light. Her entire concentration was on her blood flowing freely between her fingers and on the agony that seemed to cut her in half.  
  
Romiël immediately knelt beside her, pressing a napkin to the wound.  
  
"Thranduil what it happening?" she asked.  
  
"It is a death curse," Alede stammered, answering in place of the King. "I must counter it . . ." But words were becoming hard to form and a mist was trying to close over her eyes. She felt the balcony rock as if someone was taking the stairs three at a time.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Legolas bid Mändel good morning. There was still much that he needed to do, but he refused to be parted from his bride any longer. He would settle back into his routine next week. For the next few days he intended to devote his time to Alede.  
  
But as he happily contemplated his future with her, he became aware of a discord in their song. Something evil hung in the air and fouled the harmony of their aman coire like a note played off key.  
  
Legolas shuddered and quickened his pace toward home.  
  
And then he heard Alede scream and felt her sharp pain through their song. Panic stricken, he broke into a run, charging up the steps three at a time.  
  
"Alede!" Legolas burst upon his father's balcony, dropping to his knees, his song nearly knocking her over with concern.  
  
"Death Curse," she stammered. "Get my mother's book . . . the red one . . ."  
  
Legolas started to rise, but then he saw the knife, the very same dagger that Thranduil had given to Alede before they journeyed to Mordor. It hung in the air as if held by an invisible and demonic hand. Suddenly it twisted in the air, swooping down on Alede.  
  
Several things happened at once. Thranduil made a dive for the knife and hit the corner of the table with his hip and missed. Legolas threw himself in front of Alede and caught it. But his haste made him clumsy and his hands closed upon the sharp blade. He cried out as his own blood dripped to the deck and Alede gasped as she felt his pain.  
  
Gimli charged upon the balcony, wheezing like a mule and brandishing his axe.  
  
"Legolas!" he looked on in amazement as Legolas and Thranduil both appeared to be wrestling over a knife. "What in the blazes!?"  
  
"It is enchanted, Gimli!" Legolas gasped as the blade twisted angrily, shredding his palm despite his father's hold on it as well.  
  
The Dwarf looked flustered for a moment, then quickly grabbed the edge of the tablecloth and whipped it off. Porcelain, cutlery and food all went crashing to the floor as Gimli threw the cloth around the two Elves' hands. Thranduil quickly twisted it around and around the knife, muffling it in its folds.  
  
"Romiël," Alede grasped at the she-Elf's hand clumsily. "Circle . . . draw a circle with my blood . . . get the book."  
  
Romiël hesitated for only a moment. Her hands were already dark with Alede's blood so drawing a circle upon the planks was no trouble.  
  
Legolas extricated his slashed hand from the tablecloth as Thranduil finished wrapping the knife. He cared nothing for his own wound though and fell to his knees in horror at Alede's side. There was so much blood spilled down the front of her gown, he thought his heart might stop at the sight of it.  
  
"Alede!" the desperate anguish in his voice mirroring that which he felt.  
  
" . . .book," she whispered weakly.  
  
Legolas stumbled to his feet, noticing as he did so that the knife was once again trying to free itself. The sight urged him into a sprint as he leapt across the bridges toward Alede's home and into her library. It took him an agonizing moment to find the book.  
  
"Red, red . . ." he mumbled urgently to himself as he searched the shelves, throwing books on the floor in his haste. He finally found a red book with Malina's spidery scrawl in it. Then he was out the door and racing back across the bridges.  
  
A hideous sound assaulted him before he was halfway there. It screeched and grated upon his eardrums so badly he wanted to sink to his knees and cover his ears. But he ran on, bursting out upon Thranduil's balcony.  
  
The knife had escaped its cloth binding and was skittering across the surface of Alede's encircling, screeching as it angrily scraped at her green magic, but could not penetrate it. The sound was deafening, more than deafening, it was a sound that Legolas was certain could kill.  
  
Thranduil was on his knees, his hands pressed to his ears and Gimli crouched near the railing, crying out in pain. Romiël had collapsed inside Alede's circle.  
  
And Alede . . .  
  
Legolas' heart tightened. Her face had gone completely white and she had slumped to the floor. But her eyelids flickered as Legolas ran to her and fell to his knees.  
  
Raising a bloody hand, he caught the hilt of the knife and tossed the book within Alede's circle. As her encircling unmade, the screeching sound stopped and the knife tried to surge out of Legolas' hand. He wrapped both of them around it and hung on with all of his strength, though it nearly dragged him across the decking.  
  
Dark magic wrapped itself around him, clouding his vision, blocking out Alede's faint song and filling his mind with its hatred. Malice chilled his blood as the spell tried to throw him off, tried to complete its deadly purpose.  
  
But Legolas held on, even as evil words whispered about his ears. Desperately he forced his hands down, dragging the knife unwillingly toward the planking beneath his knees. The dark magic rose to a crescendo then and pulled at him, trying to wrench the very soul from him. Legolas cried out in pain and horror, but still he pressed the dagger point into the wood, forcing it slowly into the floor.  
  
Then powerful words washed over him, but these were clean words and smelled of pine trees and warm summer breezes. They carried with them the cleansing force of mountain snows and rocked the balcony beneath him as the Culhalla trembled in recognition of the counter spell.  
  
And then quite suddenly the dagger went limp in his hands. Legolas let out the breath he had been holding and opened his eyes. The knife had dropped to the floor and lay there harmlessly. The spell was broken.  
  
Legolas shuddered and raised his eyes to Alede.  
  
Her mother's book lay open beside her and her limp hand rested upon it. Bright blood flooded out across the planking and her eyes stared sightlessly back at him.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Anguish and emptiness like he had never known it seized Legolas, squeezing his gut in its powerful grip. He crawled to Alede, pulling her lifeless body into his arms and sending the book skittering away. Her song did not answer his as he urgently called out to her.  
  
"DO NOT LEAVE ME MELUI! DO NO LEAVE ME NOW THAT WE ARE FINALLY TOGETHER!"  
  
Blind grief took him. He was only vaguely aware of people crowding around him now. Thranduil had stumbled to his feet and Gimli's strong hand gripped his shoulder. Absently he knew that Aragorn and Elrond's sons were there as well. Galomir was feeling Alede's wrist.  
  
But Legolas ignored them all, seeing only emptiness and shattering pain. Tears flowed down his cheeks unchecked.  
  
"I am sorry," Galomir said beside him, breaking through the wall of grief. "I can feel no pulse."  
  
*NO!*  
  
Rage swelled up within Legolas' heart, shoving the pain aside. He threw back his head and shouted a defiant scream to the sky.  
  
Fire answered him.  
  
Heat filled his body as if Mount Doom had erupted and filled his veins. Legolas could not see for the ancient power that pounded in his blood. Instinctively he pulled Alede tighter to him, clamping one hand upon her belly and allowing the fire to pour through him and out of him.  
  
Strong hands seized his shoulders and he felt raw power flowing into him. Time ceased to have a meaning, as did the chaotic voices around him. There was only the fire in his blood and magic rushing out of him. Brilliant light filled his vision and he vaguely realized that it came from his own body and from there he poured this terrible power into Alede. ***  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
Only one voice could have roused him from that ancient Elvin magic.  
  
Legolas raised his head and opened his eyes, taking a moment to focus in the strangely normal light of morning. He felt as if the inside of his eyelids had been singed.  
  
And then his vision came into focus.  
  
Alede stirred in his arms and smiled weakly up at him.  
  
"Melui?" he gasped in astonishment and barely felt Thranduil's painful grip on his shoulders loosen.  
  
Alede's smile broadened and her song reached out to tap gently at his. With a wordless cry, Legolas crushed her in his arms, sobbing without restraint against the side of her face and flooding her his emotion. Then he was kissing her cheeks and her mouth as if he could not drink in enough of her.  
  
"Praise Ilúvatar," he stammered. "I thought I had lost you, my beloved!"  
  
Alede was crying too. Her song reached out to his, weaving together with his notes. They whispered softly to each other.  
  
Their desperately tender words would have gone on for quite some time, had not a voice interrupted them. Legolas almost felt angry at the intrusion.  
  
"Legolas?" said a quiet voice behind him. "I think we had best take a look at that wound . . ."  
  
Legolas jerked his head up at Aragorn's words. "Aye, you are right!" Lowering Alede, he grasped the torn edges of Alede's gown and ripped it wide open.  
  
Alede made a sound of protest, but Legolas barely heard it as his bloody fingers explored her belly. Her skin was scorched as if she had been burned by fire and there was a perfect red imprint of Legolas' hand upon her abdomen. Her blood had dried to black flecks, as if it too had been through fire. But of the gaping wound, there was no sign.  
  
Behind him Aragorn chuckled, "I meant the wound on your hand, Legolas. I have seen the healing techniques of Elvin Lords enough times to know that Alede is fine. Though I think in this instance you may have surpassed even Elrond's abilities. No doubt King Thranduil's assistance made the difference."  
  
Legolas turned and stared up at him dumbfounded. Thranduil looked a little uncertain, but not terribly surprised. Elladan nodded sagely, but Elrohir looked a bit pale and had to lean on his twin for support. Alede's demise had obviously frightened him. But before Legolas could question any of them about this ability that had sprung out of him unaware, Alede struggled in his arms.  
  
"Your hand!" she exclaimed. "I had forgotten about your hand! Lord Aragorn, please help Legolas into a chair. Galomir, fetch me some bandages, needle and thread. Thranduil, Romiël has fainted. Take her inside and place a cool cloth on her brow. Gimli that dagger has been neutralized, but I think it would be best if it were melted down . . ."  
  
Legolas finally could not stand it any longer. All the emotion that had ricocheted inside of his scull was finally too much.  
  
He burst out laughing.  
  
Alede looked up at him sharply, no doubt thinking that he was hysterical.  
  
"No," he said to the people who had begun to scurry around to do her bidding or check him for hysterics. "Stop. The first thing that is going to happen is that Alede is going to bed . . ."  
  
"I do not need to go to bed . . ."  
  
"You have lost a tremendous amount of blood."  
  
"I feel fine. I need to tend to your hand. It probably needs stitches. Galomir, do you have those bandages yet?"  
  
"And the second thing," Legolas continued undaunted, "is that you are going to stop bossing everyone around and . . ."  
  
"I am not bossing!"  
  
". . . and let me take care of you. I am your husband and it is my job and my honor to take care of you and this curse has terrified me more than anything has ever terrified me."  
  
"Oh." Alede stopped struggling to rise and lay back in Legolas' arms. "Well . . . if you put it that way . . ."  
  
Legolas smiled and bent his head to press his lips tenderly to hers.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
In the end it was Aragorn who finally tended Legolas' hand with Gimli hovering anxiously nearby. The Elf pressed his good hand to the Dwarf's shoulder in a silent gesture of gratitude and comfort.  
  
Galomir helped Alede to clean the blood off and tucked her protesting into her own bed.  
  
"Are you certain the threat is gone?" Elrohir asked worriedly.  
  
All of them had squeezed into Alede's bedchamber after she had been tended to and were standing around the bed of the reluctant patient. Radagast was fussing over his daughter. Thranduil had joined them and reassured everyone that Romiël was all right. Legolas, who normally would have given his father a speculative look whenever Romiël was mentioned, let it pass without even a blink. His entire focus was on Alede.  
  
Alede nodded, in reference to Elrohir's question and gestured toward the book on her desk, which had been retrieved. Gimli handed it to her and she gave him a smile before flipping open the pages.  
  
"The Death Curse has only one lifespan," she said her voice filled with relief. "If it fails to kill, the curse dies."  
  
"But how did it come about?" Legolas asked urgently. "It was the knife that Father gave you, but how did it come to be used for such an evil purpose?"  
  
"The magic was Zarraweth's," Alede answered. "I could feel her signature. She must have still been alive after the Griffon dropped her." Alede shrugged regretfully. "I'm afraid I did not check. I was so relieved . . ." she shook her head. "I must have dropped Thranduil's dagger and she used it to activate the curse."  
  
"But how?" Legolas persisted. The fear of what had happened still lingered and the calming notes in Alede's song, for once, did not help. "Zarraweth died nearly a year ago."  
  
"She killed herself," Alede said sadly. "The death curse requires the suicide of the one wielding it."  
  
"But could there have been a back up curse, in case this one failed?"  
  
Alede shook her head wearily and smiled, taking Legolas' hand in hers. "No. She would not have had the strength or the time to make one. It is over. I will place wards around the kingdom tomorrow if it will make you easier. But I promise you, it is over. The feeling of dread that I have had since that last day in Mordor is gone. It was the curse that I sensed. I should have realized that, but I was preoccupied with other things. Fear no more, Husband, all is well."  
  
Legolas looked at her for a long moment, letting his song mingle with hers, letting himself feel her presence, her life force . . . He had almost lost her. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead gently to hers and closed his eyes.  
  
"Ehem!"  
  
It was Aragorn who cleared his throat and spoke first. "I think we should let both Legolas and Alede rest. There has been enough excitement for the morning, I think."  
  
"That is the most ridiculous understatement I have heard yet, son of Arathorn," Thranduil said in a quarrelsome tone.  
  
"Aragorn speaks for me as well," Gimli snapped, glaring up at the Elvin King. "I could do with a bit less of this kind of excitement."  
  
Thranduil made an irritable sound, but voiced no opinion. Legolas, if he had been paying attention would have been astonished by his father's polite restraint.  
  
But Legolas was not paying attention and so their friends filed slowly out of the room, some of them reluctantly, but most of them nodding and smiling. Radagast was unwilling to leave, but Thranduil prodded him none too gently out the door.  
  
Gimli was the last one out. Legolas had wrapped his song securely around the dwarf, expressing his gratitude and his relief. Instead of feeling left out of the couple's love for each other, Gimli felt included. He would have been hard pressed to say just where he fit into this small family, but he knew that he did. Even as he pulled on the door handle, Alede's song reached out to him, notes of friendship, fluttering over him.  
  
For an instant, he felt the tide of their combined song rush over him like a flood, but then he carefully shut it out. Their song was changing into a symphony, a grand harmony of love. He would join them later, but for now it was time for just the two of them.  
  
As Gimli turned away, he heard the murmur of tender words and the thump of Legolas' clothing falling on the floor. Gimli grinned happily for his friends and closed the door on the soft rustling of bedclothes.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*** For those of you wondering about Legolas' newfound powers, I suggest reading my companion story, "Heart of a King". It will explain everything. ;)  
  
A/N: Make sure you catch the epilogue (chapter 18) next week. I think all of you will get quite a kick out of it. ;) Thanks so much for all of your support and comments. You guys are terrific!!!!! :D :D :D  
  
Yeah for Merlynne, she was the first one to guess the quote from last week. It was spoken by Liam Neeson in "Rob Roy" one of my favorite movies. :)  
  
LegolasLover2003 - Thanks for some more great suggestions of Errol Flynn movies. I have Don Juan also and love it! :) I obviously need to rent some more!  
  
I'm not a Johnny Depp fan yet, but I have a feeling I might be after PotC. His character, Jack Sparrow fascinates me. I love eccentric characters that I can sink my literary teeth into. Don't be too surprised if a PotC fanfic shows up on my page someday. ;) lol! 


	18. Epilogue

THE GRIFFON'S TEARS  
  
Chapter 18 ~ "Epilogue"  
  
~ written by Thecla (with only a couple of tweaks by Nebride, who, because she is a writer, cannot leave anything written alone without tweaking it. ;)  
  
A wry Elvin smile.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
A wizardess' purr. "Mmm . . . 'morning."  
  
Elvin eyes begin to narrow.  
  
Wizardess' eyebrows raise in a question.  
  
"Forget 'wanton'. You are worse than that."  
  
Small giggle.  
  
A snort and fingers thrum on the bed.  
  
"You will be the death of me even before our first anniversary."  
  
A laugh and the sound of a kiss. A very firm kiss.  
  
"Humph."  
  
"Humph?? You enjoyed that, my Lord. Don't try to tell me differently."  
  
Another kiss.  
  
A speculative stare.  
  
"What?" A twinkle of mischief in green eyes.  
  
Exhalation. "You told me you were not skilled in love making. If that were true, then how in Middle-Earth did you know about kissing me here . . ."  
  
Points to area in question.  
  
". . . and here."  
  
Points again.  
  
"Not to mention the uhm . . . that spot there!"  
  
Points lower.  
  
"Well, uhm. . . ," a smug grin, "you are not exactly the first lover I have shared my bed with."  
  
Eyes narrowing, jealousy sparking. "*You*. . . have done *that*. . . to someone else as well?"  
  
"Uh huh. . ," eyelashes fluttering.  
  
"Humph! I do not believe you! You are teasing me!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"We share song, I hear it! You are jesting!"  
  
A burst of laughter. "And yet you are jealous!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Ha!"  
  
More wizardess' giggles.  
  
"You have not answered my question, woman."  
  
A chuckle. "And I am not going to, my Lord.".  
  
Distracting kiss. A hand traveling to said spot.  
  
An Elvin gasp.  
  
A triumphant grin.  
  
Pause.  
  
Staring contest.  
  
A pounce.  
  
A squeal.  
  
THE END  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N: An extra, extra special thanks to my fabulous beta reader and co- author, Thecla, who sent me this gem. You rock, Girl! :D  
  
And now, Dear Readers, I am going to leave you on this happy note for a while. I am badly in need of rest and different scenery, so I'm going to take a few months off. My muse has already packed her bags, in fact and is just waiting for me to finish this up. I saw her including a bathing suit and suntan lotion in her luggage, so I strongly suspect she is headed for the beach somewhere. The Caribbean, perhaps? ;)  
  
Updates on "Heart of a King" will be rather slow in coming. I'm sorry about that! Please see my note about my stupid #$%^! Internet connection on my bio. Grrr.  
  
I also interrupted a science fiction novel that I'm writing for publication two years ago when I started these stories and need to get back to it. Plus I'm sending in some of my children's stories (two can be found at Fiction Press) so wish me luck in finding a good publisher. And I've begun participating/hosting a writers group at my library, so by the time I come back to story #5 of the Legolas/Alede adventures, my writing skills should have improved and my muse will be rested and ready to go! :)  
  
Thank you so much for all of your comments, well wishes and loyalty. You guys are fabulous readers!!!!!!!!!!! I could not have done it without you or without Thecla's fabulous help, encouragement and co-writing!!! *Big hugs all around!!!*  
  
If you wish, I would be happy to e-mail you once I start posting "Elvin Home". Just let me know.  
  
Bye for now,  
  
~ Nebride :D :D :D 


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